Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary – Bravery in Adversity
The story of Pearl Harbor is more than a love story depicted on film, brought to life by the big names of Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale. It is, however, a story of love that came out of hate.
Pearl Harbor 70th Anniversary - Bravery in Adversity
It’s been 70 years since that infamous Sunday morning of the 7th of December 1941 at a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii – Famously known as Pearl Harbor. Around 84,000 uniformed American military officers and personnel were on Oahu on that day. What seems to be a normal, peaceful Sunday morning turned into horror.
At around 6 in the morning, the Japanese carriers launched the first wave of dive and horizontal bombers, and fighters. The assault crippled American ships and military installations just minutes before the clock struck 8. A second wave of 170 Japanese aircrafts followed. This was the first deliberate attack on the United States of America.
Pearl Harbor Memorial
What happened that morning will forever be remembered. The attack claimed some 2,403 lives, most of which are of our brothers and sisters from the military, including 68 civilians. Sadly, most of the Pearl Harbor survivors now are in their late 80s and 90s – but their stories are never forgotten. Friends and family retell their forefathers’ stories and vow to pass it on to the next generations.
Fast forward 70 years, only few survivors are left today with a few documentaries retelling the stories. It’s sad to fathom that the youth today might forget about what happened at Pearl Harbor, or perhaps never knowing it happened.
That fateful Sunday morning will forever be in our hearts. What started as hate that caused the attack and brought the US to war eventually turned to love as we forgave those who have wronged us and whom we have wronged in war.
Remembering Pearl Harbor and the brave men and women who faced it.
“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
~Ernest Hemingway