My generation is familiar with the phrase “Remember Nine Eleven!” It has helped to sustain America in her lengthy war against terrorism. Long before that, the catchphrase of “Remember the Alamo!” was a pivotal motivation in Texas’ battle for independence from Mexico, inspiring the so-called “Texians” as they then fought and won the Battle of San Jacinto.
This was followed by the one of my great grandparents generation, “Remember the Maine!”, which helped rouse the nation in the Spanish-American War. In like manner, my grandparents and parents were later spurred along in their own patriotism with the phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor!” during World War Two.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 gave us the U.S. holiday known as “Patriot Day”. Texas celebrates “Alamo Day” each year on March 6. Though the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded and sank on February 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor, I am not aware of a special day devoted to the incident. But December 7, 1941, referred to by President Franklin Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy”, has been embraced by our nation as “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day”.
Today, 12/07/2023, is this very date; and it marks exactly 82 years since that singularly infamous day unfolded. Sadly, many Americans have long since forgotten about the events surrounding when and how, according to FDR, “America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan”. For this reason, I am thankful that a few news organizations and television networks still choose to recognize this day.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in particular, spent the day showing classic films surrounding the events of that day – among them “Back to Bataan”, “They Were Expendable”, “From Here to Eternity”, and “Pearl Harbor”. As one watches these films, he or she can only imagine what it must have been like to be present and experience the Japanese onslaught. The sacrifice of so many brave men and women is something that deserves to be recounted on a regular basis by a grateful nation.
While some 82,000 service personnel were estimated to be present on or near Oahu that fateful day back in 1941, we are told that only about 25 are still alive today. And a handful of these centenarians gathered at Pearl Harbor earlier today to remember those 2390 comrades who laid down their lives that eventful day on behalf of the nation and its people that they loved.
In the New Testament gospel of John (chapter 15, verse 13, KJV), Jesus Himself told us that: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The Contemporary English Version translates that verse this way: “The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” May we never forget the service and sacrifice of those who did just that on December 7, 1941!
Oh, and one more thing…
Irish statesman Edmund Burke is often misquoted as having said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But it was British statesman Winston Churchill who said it best when he wrote: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
If history teaches us anything, surely it is to be vigilant! As a nation, we were caught unprepared on February 15, 1898 at Havana Harbor, on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, and again on September 11, 2001, little more than a stone’s throw from the harbors of Manhattan. May that never happen again. Never, ever! May we well remember!
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Day;
https://nationaltoday.com/alamo-day/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pearl_Harbor_Remembrance_Day;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Infamy_speech.
https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2023/12/central-oregon-is-home-to-2-of-last-25-survivors-of-pearl-harbor-attack.html;
https://liberalarts.vt.edu/magazine/2017/history-repeating.html.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm;
Consider also the admonition of the Apostle Peter in his First New Testament Letter (chapter 5, verse 8), when he reminded us that our enemy prowls like a lion seeking whom he may devour!
Cf.: https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm.
This was followed by the one of my great grandparents generation, “Remember the Maine!”, which helped rouse the nation in the Spanish-American War. In like manner, my grandparents and parents were later spurred along in their own patriotism with the phrase “Remember Pearl Harbor!” during World War Two.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 gave us the U.S. holiday known as “Patriot Day”. Texas celebrates “Alamo Day” each year on March 6. Though the battleship U.S.S. Maine exploded and sank on February 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor, I am not aware of a special day devoted to the incident. But December 7, 1941, referred to by President Franklin Roosevelt as “a date which will live in infamy”, has been embraced by our nation as “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day”.
Today, 12/07/2023, is this very date; and it marks exactly 82 years since that singularly infamous day unfolded. Sadly, many Americans have long since forgotten about the events surrounding when and how, according to FDR, “America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan”. For this reason, I am thankful that a few news organizations and television networks still choose to recognize this day.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in particular, spent the day showing classic films surrounding the events of that day – among them “Back to Bataan”, “They Were Expendable”, “From Here to Eternity”, and “Pearl Harbor”. As one watches these films, he or she can only imagine what it must have been like to be present and experience the Japanese onslaught. The sacrifice of so many brave men and women is something that deserves to be recounted on a regular basis by a grateful nation.
While some 82,000 service personnel were estimated to be present on or near Oahu that fateful day back in 1941, we are told that only about 25 are still alive today. And a handful of these centenarians gathered at Pearl Harbor earlier today to remember those 2390 comrades who laid down their lives that eventful day on behalf of the nation and its people that they loved.
In the New Testament gospel of John (chapter 15, verse 13, KJV), Jesus Himself told us that: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The Contemporary English Version translates that verse this way: “The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them.” May we never forget the service and sacrifice of those who did just that on December 7, 1941!
Oh, and one more thing…
Irish statesman Edmund Burke is often misquoted as having said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But it was British statesman Winston Churchill who said it best when he wrote: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
If history teaches us anything, surely it is to be vigilant! As a nation, we were caught unprepared on February 15, 1898 at Havana Harbor, on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor, and again on September 11, 2001, little more than a stone’s throw from the harbors of Manhattan. May that never happen again. Never, ever! May we well remember!
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Day;
https://nationaltoday.com/alamo-day/;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pearl_Harbor_Remembrance_Day;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Infamy_speech.
https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2023/12/central-oregon-is-home-to-2-of-last-25-survivors-of-pearl-harbor-attack.html;
https://liberalarts.vt.edu/magazine/2017/history-repeating.html.
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/john/15-13.htm;
Consider also the admonition of the Apostle Peter in his First New Testament Letter (chapter 5, verse 8), when he reminded us that our enemy prowls like a lion seeking whom he may devour!
Cf.: https://biblehub.com/1_peter/5-8.htm.