Seventy years ago today the United States was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor which involved us in the Second World War. Thousands of sailors are still entombed in the Arizona and Utah which still lay on the seabed. We should remember these men, not for dying, but for what their deaths means to us today.
At that time, not only was the United States was unprepared for an attack, it was very isolationist. The thinking at that time was this was Europe's or Asia's war and we needed to mind out business. We had not been attacked by Germany, Italy or Japan so "we had no dog in the fight." Additionally, we had depleted our military to the point that soldiers trained with wooden rifles and no new airplanes or ships were in the pipeline. We did not need a large military for the "war to end all wars" (World War I) had ended over 20 years before.
Isolationism might have been alright in 1776, however, it was not in 1941 and definitely not now. We, the United States, are still the big dog and we cannot afford to allow other countries to usurp that role by our inaction or inattention. We cannot afford to be attacked again and to have our military decimated as the Navy was at Pearl. Those men who died, died unnecessarily because our civilian and military leaders were asleep at the switch. They either did not fully understand that a war was coming or cavalierly dismissed the idea.
Let's remember those who still are at Pearl, seventy years later and pledge not to let it happen again.
Conservative Tom
At that time, not only was the United States was unprepared for an attack, it was very isolationist. The thinking at that time was this was Europe's or Asia's war and we needed to mind out business. We had not been attacked by Germany, Italy or Japan so "we had no dog in the fight." Additionally, we had depleted our military to the point that soldiers trained with wooden rifles and no new airplanes or ships were in the pipeline. We did not need a large military for the "war to end all wars" (World War I) had ended over 20 years before.
Isolationism might have been alright in 1776, however, it was not in 1941 and definitely not now. We, the United States, are still the big dog and we cannot afford to allow other countries to usurp that role by our inaction or inattention. We cannot afford to be attacked again and to have our military decimated as the Navy was at Pearl. Those men who died, died unnecessarily because our civilian and military leaders were asleep at the switch. They either did not fully understand that a war was coming or cavalierly dismissed the idea.
Let's remember those who still are at Pearl, seventy years later and pledge not to let it happen again.
Conservative Tom
So true. I read a great book recently about a man who tried to warn the government not to down size the military before WWII, sadly his voice was not heard. It is especially sad because he was a decorated General.
ReplyDeleteYou should read "Perishing: Commander of the Great War" by John Perry.