72 years ago, we saw the sudden Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, causing the loss of 2,400 servicemen and eight battleships, and forcing us into a war we were trying to avoid, World War II.
The number of veterans who survived the attack, and the number of World War II veterans in total, has rapidly declined, and at some point, there will be no Americans, military or civilian, who will have direct memories of the attack.
This is very sad, as this is a moment in American history which should never be forgotten, but this author, a professor, already has seen glazed eyes and nonrecognition when one mentions the term “Pearl Harbor”.
We should never forget the sacrifices of those men who died on that day, and we should also continue to recognize the need to be always alert to any danger to America’s national security, and be prepared to defend ourselves.
This brings Iran to mind, as in many ways, the negotiations with that nation bring back memories of the deceit of the Japanese, and it is hard to trust Iran with their own record of deceit and aggressiveness toward their neighbors and the Western world since 1979.
This is not to defend US and other nations’ relationships with Iran from 1953-1979 under the Shah of Iran, but simply to remind us that we must always be on our guard, and this Pearl Harbor anniversary reminds us of that reality.