71 Years Ago...

We were attacked, the first attack on US soil by a foreign country since the War of 1812. The attack did indeed wake a "sleeping giant" (although whether or not Yamamoto ever made the apocryphal statement forever attributed to him is a matter of some debate), thrusting the nascent power of the United States into the Second World War on the side of the Allied powers. It was not the evils of Nazi Germany that brought us into the war but the brazen attack on Pearl Harbor.

Today is, has been, and may very well continue to be Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, a day set aside to remember the events of December 7th, 1941, a day that has lived in infamy ever since. 71 years - nearly an entire lifetime - have passed since that attack, and the world has changed dramatically in those years. Eleven years ago saw another massive attack on America, with a radically different response. Rather than the overwhelming and crushing response of the 1940s, the 2000s saw a more surgical, precise response that very specifically targeted leadership of the groups responsible for the attack.

Granted, the two attacks are quite different - Pearl Harbor was a coordinated effort from an enemy nation, the very epitome of an act of war. Our sovereign ground was attacked by their war machine - very little shades of grey there. The September 11th attacks saw our own technology and rules used against is - with little more than sharp knives, some flight training, and a grim resolve, Islamic terrorists killed thousands of Americans inside the continent. It's natural that the responses differ - in 1941 the enemy was crystal-clear; some sixty years later, nowhere near so much so.

There are rumors that the US knew of an impending attack on a US installation in the weeks and months prior to the Pearl Harbor attack. Warnings three months prior hinted at an impending assault, but were discarded as unreliable based on an obviously faulty assessment of Japan's naval capabilities. The more conspiracy minded offer many reasons why the attack was "allowed" to proceed: drawing an isolationist United States into the war being the most prominent (and likely, if it were true that the attack was "allowed" to happen).

There's a line in the Batman "The Dark Knight Returns" where Commission Gordon explains Pearl Harbor to the incoming commissioner. He explains how the reaction to the attack - fear, then anger, then resolve - allowed the military might of the United States to go to war in Europe to stop the Axis forces. The horror of Pearl Harbor was needed to rouse the United States to action to stop a much larger horror. Gordon explains that even if the attack had been "allowed" to happen, that the events were simply too big to judge; that the good of stopping the Nazis more than offset rumors of ignoring the attack.

Seventy one years ago today, we were attacked. Take a moment to remember the soldiers, sailors, and airmen that lost their lives in the attack. Pray that we never again see an attack of that magnitude on our soil - but prepare as though we will. Our enemies may not gather under a single flag or alliance, but they are indeed real, prepared, and ready to kill us in large numbers should we ignore them as we did the Japanese some three and a half score prior.

Remember, today.

That is all.

One More, For Today...

Gotta put this up:



Freedom don't come free. Remember those that have paid the butcher's bill. Please.

That is all.

Remember.

Today's not about a day off from work, or going to the beach, or the unofficial start of summer, or even barbeque.

It's about those that gave all in defense of their country. The husband that never came back from the war, or the sister that died in a training accident, or the cousin who died from injuries received in Vietnam; all who have perished in the service our our nation's Armed Forces are to be honored today. Their sacrifices are what keep our nation free; their selflessness and giving of their lives so that we may remain the greatest nation on earth are what we honor today.

Decorate a veteran's grave site. Attend a service that honors those who have passed in service to this great nation. Remember the sacrifices that have been made so that we can continue to enjoy the life we lead in the freest of nations - a nation kept free by men and women willing to lay down their lives in her defense. These are the people we should look up to, not overpaid sports stars or pampered musicians. Being able to put a ball into a goal or hit a high note are side benefits of the freedom that our nation's Armed Forces protect; it's a testament to our misguided priorities that those who entertain enjoy a level of fame and fortune wholly divested of the average grunt.

Our soldiers endure conditions that, when practiced in an AZ jail, bring condemnations raining down on the jailor; they serve in the hottest corners of the globe to the coldest, often with enemies within range. Combat, training exercises, and, sadly, suicide are the top causes of death for our soldiers - either in getting ready for combat, actually being in combat, or succumbing to the stress brought on by that combat. Think about what we can do to help that last group.

But most of all, today, remember their sacrifice and be thankful that such men and women ever lived.

That is all.

"It's Not About You".

I talked to a good friend of mine last night for a couple hours. He's a former Army Captain who was well on his way to retirement but got out for family reasons, and shared a few details last night I had not known. He had been the commanding officer responsible for presenting the flag to the mother of a private killed in a training accident. He had been present for a half dozen or so honor details, laying to rest a soldier lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. He told me that he had lost 33 friends and acquaintances between the first and second Gulf Wars and Afghanistan.

The title of this post was something said to him at last year's Memorial Day parade by a retired Major. He addressed the group of veterans gathered to march in the Memorial Day and reminded them that if they were here today, it was not about them. It was about those that can no longer march in parades; those who will never again taste the freedom they fought so valiantly to preserve.

Freedom is not free. It has cost many everything they have.

Requiescat in pace

For those that never came back, as least not vertically, please remember.

That is all.

Favor, Please

My good friend Weerd had some less-than-great news. Seems as though Mrs. Weerd's surgery had some potential complications. It sounds like it's just something to be aware of, but good thoughts and prayers are always appreciated...

Besides, she has to put up with Weerd 24-7 - that's punishment enough!

That is all.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Awesome...

Reader Stretch sent me this video. If you love vintage aircraft, you owe it to yourself to take a look:



As the link that accompanies the video states:

B-25J 'Pacific Princess' and crew participates in the largest gathering of B-25's since WWII for the 68th Doolittle Raiders Reunion held April 17th & 18th, 2010 at USAF Museum, Wright Field Dayton OH. 17 B-25's formed up for a fly-over the Doolittle Memorial ceremony. 8 Doolittle Raiders of the original 79 remain, 4 were able to attend the 2010 event. Air to Air shots filmed from the tailgunner seat of 'Pacific Princess', ship # 2 in the 17 ship formation by VictoryGirl.com

Simply breathtaking - not too many of these left...

That is all.

Others Remember...

Here are some other Memorial Day posts around the web.

• Borepatch talks about the sacrifices made in a small town.
• Ambulance Driver gives us things to think about today.
• Doubletrouble reminds us where we've lost soldiers.
• Marko has a poem for the day.
• Brigid reminds us to be thankful for our freedoms and those who secure them.
  
• Newbius has a reminder to Congress for today.
• ZerCool exhorts us to keep the faith.
• Peter posts a poem about the very personal side of war.
• Sailorcurt reminds us through the use of cartoons.
• Phlegmfatale offers a simple, yet poignant picture.
• Hecate reminds us that war does not discriminate based on the soldier's faith.
• New Jovian Thunderbolt posts of his family's sacrifice.
• CalvinsMom also has a personal note for today.
• Williamthecoroner also wants us to remember.
• Mulebreath gives some history with cartoons.
• Aaron also has some cartoons.
  

Remember.

That is all.

A Solemn Promise

Thank you, each and every one of you, for keeping us free. The single biggest regret I have in my life is that I've never served; I've never put my life on the line for what I believe in. Freedom is not free; your brothers and sisters who didn't come home serve as a grim testament to that truism. We all benefit from your sacrifice; our nation simply could not exist without your sacrifice, your perseverance, and your honor.

We're fighting a war right now, on many different fronts and many different ways. Some of your brothers and sisters in arms won't come back whole from the conflict; others won't come back at all. Some will carry the scars - emotional as well as physical - for the rest of their lives; others will seek escape from the horrors of war in a bottle, a needle, a thousand different ways of taking the edge off the brutality witnessed. Witnessing the darkest side of man, in the many ways he can be evil, vicious, and violent, takes its toll on the strongest of us; you do it out of a sense of honor, obligation, duty.

Thank you. Thank you for doing a job I was unable to do. I've never had to leave my family and friends to travel halfway across the world so someone could take shots at me, or blow things up as I went by. I've never had to go to sleep in a cloth tent in 130º weather, nor march 20 miles in sub-zero cold while shouldering an 80 pound ruck. You have. And for that, you have my respect, my admiration, and my eternal gratitude. If you're out and about in the Northeast and see a shaved head biker looking at you with a mix of awe and longing, that's me. I'm wishing I was half the person you are.

And f I ever witness some dirty hippie disrespect you, I solemnly promise to punch their fucking teeth straight down their neck for you.

That is all.