Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor was once known for its sacred meaning to the native Hawaiian people, but that was before the Pearl Harbor bombings. All was peaceful that day in Oahu, Hawaii until the morning of December 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor included a cluster of islands surrounded by turquoise blue waters. It was once revered by native islanders for its innate spiritual qualities. That was until a pre-emptive Japanese air strike shocked the entire world. The next day, the United States declared war on Japan resulting in World War II.

Like 911, the bombing of Pearl Harbor will never be forgotten.

The Japanese launched a total of 353 aircraft in two deplorable strikes, toppling the quiet islands of Pearl Harbor, resonating a shockwave of terror throughout the rest of the civilized world.

President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt marked this day with his statement "A date which will live in infamy." And indeed it did.

Rumors circulated that the presidential administration was aware of the Japanese intent to take this action, however.

Again, not unlike 911, the suspected mishandling of information may have changed the fate of history had it been revealed. The speculation goes that Roosevelt wanted a clear cut picture of the reasoning behind engaging in a war.

Comprehensive studies and books have been written about the inception of this war. Due to the devastation and widespread girth of this war, one set of authors took 37 years to complete their study.

Often considered one of the deadliest conflicts in history, the true beginning of WWII is often considered to be September of 1939. Soldiers accepted their duties, as major nations engaged in conflict, including the threat of the Third Reich and Hitler's regime.

Women in the U.S. took jobs outside of the home to support the war. In a reversal of typical female roles as homemakers, women performed the kind of work and experienced the independence previously assigned to men.

Hitler had taken over much of the European territory. The eradication of Jews took on the guise of Hitler's pure race endeavor. Many spoils of the Nazi regime are still being hunted in the quest of returning the stolen heritage of a culture.

Hearing first hand accounts from those who actually served during WWII is a delicate encounter. Many soldiers will never speak of the dark horrors from those times

Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, recruitment letters went out. The eloquent words of Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country."

They came. They fought. And when it was over, many nations began reconstruction, which the U.S. assisted.

A Jewish man named Simon Wiesenthal traced the Nazis who participated in Hitler's regime. Wiesenthal continued his lifetime search of war criminals until his death in 2005.

Pearl Harbor Day stands out in history as the inception of one of the of the most devastating, ugly wars of contemporary times.

ref: Wikipedia