Two Dates of Infamy and Their Lessons
Remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor, we also should be
reminded of the attack on the twin towers, the Pentagon, and the
botched try which landed in a field. In all these we come to
find out that tomorrow holds no guarantee for anyone.
Moreover, on December 7th we take time to remember of the attack
on Pearl Harbor. It should teach us lessons in the "trust no one
department" and "be on the lookout for the next one".
Even though, Pearl Harbor happened many years ago today, it
should also remind us of the evil in men's hearts. It reveals to
us that with each day come new challenges. Pearl Harbor opened
up the finite and revealed to us infinity, which sometimes is
allowed to bear its teeth and swallow men whole. On this day,
Eternities teeth did indeed bear down upon a small island in the
Pacific. It showed us that "hell" can be revealed to us when
Eternity allows it to be so. Of course, the holder of Eternity
is the Lord Himself. When Eternity swallowed the men, women, and
islands of Hawaii, it swallowed the United States of America.
The struggle then became one, of destiny and purpose, which
fought the evil that struck out to destroy us.
That day held remembrance for our family. My Grandfather was the
City manager of Catalina and also had been the Sea Ranger (like
Forest Ranger) working the Island waters surrounding it. When
the attack happened, my Grandfather told my dad to get a gun,
and "go down to the dock, shooting anything or anyone
parachuting from the skies". The people on Catalina that day
upon hearing what happened in Hawaii expected the next step for
the Japanese would be the shorelines of the United States of
America.
The invasion never came as relieved residents of the island of
Catalina found out. But the events of war came, triggering the
inevitable consequences of such a conflagration. This event
would envelop my dad. He had been in high school when it all
started, graduating after the war started. Immediately upon
leaving High School, Dad joined tens of thousands of other young
people to go to war. Many of whom, would not come back, while
others would come back maimed or hurt. For Him, being drafted
into the Navy was his baptism of fire. After going to Corpsman
school, Dad became a medic on the islands of the Pacific. For
Him, death and bloodshed was the way of life. In this struggle,
some found life. In all of it, though, the battle for survival
affected everyone involved. Surely, now, everyone was involved.
>From those at home living with the rationing of goods and
services to others working in the factories to produce the war
materials for those fighting on the front lines. It became clear
that all were affected by this event.
No one can understand why wicked things happen. Things happen to
good people and bad. Cutting short lives, wedding plans, births,
and peace itself. These kind of events trigger moments in
history that for all who are involved never forget them. The
occasion that brought us into WWII lasted only for around two
hours. The attack on Pearl Harbor and on the airfields of Oahu,
according to the website worldwar2history, show that the
Japanese sank or severely damaged 18 ships, including the 8
battleships, three light cruisers, and three destroyers. On the
airfields the Japanese destroyed 161 American planes (Army 74,
Navy 87) and seriously damaged 102 (Army 71, Navy 31). The Navy
and Marine Corps suffered a total of 2,896 casualties of which
2,117 were deaths (Navy 2,008, Marines 109) and 779 wounded
(Navy 710, Marines 69). The Army (as of midnight, 10 December)
lost 228 killed or died of wounds, 113 seriously wounded and 346
slightly wounded. In addition, at least 57 civilians were killed
and nearly as many seriously injured."
With this battle in the Pacific, America learned for the first
time what an enemy can be like. It was not like others she had
faced. Americans learned firsthand of suicide bombers. Yes, we
hear of them all the time today. But during WWII, the Japanese
really put it to devastating use. Japanese pilots would dive
their planes directly into ships, making a fireball of
tremendous magnitude, killing many Americans in the melee.
Americans would find out what fighting to the end meant as
'soldiers of the empire of the Sun' would not give up. At other
times, they would find Japanese soldiers had committed
Hari-Kari, rather than giving themselves up to the Americans. In
the end, America won the War. The cost was monumental in men,
women, blood, sacrifice, wounded, and rebuilding.
Today, America still has enemies. The faces may have changed,
but the battle plan is the same. Their hatred of our way of life
and even ourselves, preclude us from being passive in this. If
we falter one bit, the enemy will take advantage of us. Make no
mistake, Dec 7th, 1941 is a day we remember, but it is also a
warning. Evil never rests. People who hate us never stop hating
us. Rejoicing over our hurts, failures, and pitfalls, the
enemies of America will not stop till they destroy us or we
destroy them. There is not a single inch of middle ground here.
You will not bargain with this new enemy. You will do it His way
or perish. For us, His way is 'death to America and Americans'.
On September 11th, the attacks by planes upon American shores
took over 3,000 lives. It rests alongside Pearl Harbor as a 'day
of infinity'. The smoke of the twin towers could be seen rising
for days. I remember looking at the video of that day. Smoke,
dust clouds, metal falling, fire bursting out the sides, people
running in horror, and in the end a pile of twisted metal,
housing the remains of innocent people. Many of whom were
completely incinerated by the heat. They were never found.
The next scene that brings about the most vivid pictures is one
of unbelief. There on television bore video of the Palestinians
who were dancing in the streets over what happened to America.
Then we saw Osama Bin Laden smiling over the results of the
planning of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda, meaning "the base" had struck
the beast as they had seen it. America in all its worldly
trappings was the beast to these Arab warriors. They seem to of
taken the playbook from the Japanese. Using planes and striking
into the heart of the enemy.
We can never stop in this battle. The warriors we face will not
quit till they are dead. They will not bargain nor make truces.
If they seem to make a truce, it is for a delay tactic. Both
dates are infamous today. The events, which took place on those
dates, took many American lives. The ability of our enemy to
literally 'shake the towers of history' so to speak and bring us
into such a warring scenario should not be forgotten. In the
wings of history and ebb tides of eternity, another enemy is
waiting to destroy us. May God keep us as long as we keep Him.