Infamy shouldn’t fade with time

Editor’s Note: This column originally was published on Dec. 6, 2022. It is reprinted here with some minor updates.

It’s been more than 80 years now, but the date continues to live in infamy. Just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a devastating surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu.

More than 350 Japanese aircraft attacked in two waves. Two thousand four hundred and three Americans were killed, more than 1,100 others were wounded. The U.S.’s Pacific Fleet was decimated, with four American battleships being sunk in the attack and four others damaged. More than 180 U.S. aircraft also were destroyed in the attack.

While the intent of the Japanese was to prevent the American Navy from interfering with their operations in the Pacific, the effect was just the opposite. The United States, which had been officially neutral, declared war on Japan and ultimately defeated the Axis powers — Germany, Italy and Japan — in World War II.

Winning the war didn’t come without a tremendous cost. Nearly 300,000 American service members were killed, sacrificing their lives for the cause of freedom.

Today, the National World War II Museum estimates there are about 119,000 remaining American veterans of World War II. With the passage of time, their service and sacrifice seem to be remembered and recognized more and more infrequently. That’s unfortunate, and sad, because what those brave men and women did was nothing less than save the world.

It’s easy, I suppose, to take things for granted in today’s society. Most Americans today have a standard of living that would seem opulent compared to that of our ancestors 80-plus years ago.

While we focus on things like Black Friday shopping and the latest high-tech gadgets, our ancestors focused on scratching out a living and winning world wars.

I wonder how much today’s high school students know about World War II, or about most American history, to be honest. If it’s not on social media, if it’s not a TikTok video, it’s mostly irrelevant to many in that generation, it seems.

I wonder how many Americans know that Thursday is the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I wonder how many care. I wonder how many will dismiss it as “ancient history.” The truth is, the Pearl Harbor attack likely changed the outcome of World War II, and the course of history. It challenged America to act, and America answered the call.

That horrific day was one of the most important days in American history, and it should never be forgotten.

••• Scott Loftis is editor and publisher of the Carroll County News. His email address is SLoftis@CarrollCoNews. com.