Remember Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941

"One of the great stories during World War II was that people fought bitterly to defend our country and way of life, and then worked to help our enemies develop democracies according to their own cultures and their own history."--President Bush

Today it is sixty-seven years since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered WWII. The people who defended us at Pearl Harbor are mostly gone, and their grandchildren are now adults. Today the Japanese and Germans are our friends and have democratic governments. Eastern European countries have democracies.

President George W. Bush writes from the White House:

I am going to sign two documents -- one a Pearl Harbor Day proclamation, and the other creating the World War II Valor in Pacific National Monument. The National Monument will include nine sites -- five in Hawaii, three in Alaska, and one in California at the Tule Lake Segregation Center, which was where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.

The purpose of the monument is to remind generations of Americans of the sacrifices that Americans made to protect our country. But there's a broader purpose, as well, and that is to remind generations of Americans about the transformative effect of freedom.

One of the great stories during World War II was that people fought bitterly to defend our country and way of life, and then worked to help our enemies develop democracies according to their own cultures and their own history. And today, I am so pleased to report that Japan is a strong ally of the United States of America -- an ally in defending our liberties and an ally in spreading liberty as the great ideological alternative to an enemy that still wants to do us harm. [Full text.]

The Navy has a site called Pearl Harbor Raid, 7 December 1941 --Overview and Special Image Selection.

The National Geographic also has a multimedia site called Remembering Pearl Harbor.

The Pearl Harbor Survivors' Association tells us about what happened and has some amazing pictures. The picture I like best is the elderly soldier hugging a young Marine who lost his arm in our current War on Terror.

The PHSA says:

Our organization is a symbol of America's commitment to preparedness against unprovoked acts of aggression. We are dedicated to insuring that this and future generations remain cognizant of the events of December 7, 1941 and that all Americans never are allowed to forget that 'ETERNAL VIGILANCE IS THE PRICE OF PEACE'. - Our Motto is - 'REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR - KEEP AMERICA ALERT'

I thank these survivors for our freedoms and think it is pretty impressive that these great-grandpas and grandmas know how to use the Internet!