sigepmock
12-07-2004, 08:55 AM
Let us remember December 7th 1941. Many may have forgotten and many do not
want to be reminded of the war and the sacrifice that so many made, not only
that day, but in the years that followed. We now must draw strength and
wisdom from the past and not forget.
_______________________________________________
Sixty plus years ago President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced to
Americans and the world that the unimaginable had happened, America had
been attacked without warning and without provocation by the Japanese at the
U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans were dead
and 1,100 wounded.
December 7, 1941 became a moment in American history, a time that remains
forever transfixed in our minds as a date which shall live in infamy.
The attack on Pearl Harbor launched a chain of events that determined
America's fortune and future throughout the remainder of the twentieth
century. The impact of our Nation's response to that unprecedented attack
reverberates today.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we remember the lives lost in that
attack; we honor our veterans of that momentous event with us today; and we
salute our World War II veterans and the entire generation of Americans,
our greatest generation, who preserved this nation and advanced freedom
around the globe during those horrific years of a war fought on a scale not
seen before or since.
It began at Pearl Harbor and ended with a bomb in Japan. Sixteen million
Americans served in World War II; 400,000 did not return from its
battlefields; nearly 700,000 veterans came home wounded or disabled. Since
then, we have lost 10 million more. Their numbers thin, but the significance
and meaning of what they did grow.
Today we live and work in the shadow of another unimaginable attack that
claimed thousands of lives on American soil just three years ago. We pray
for the safety of our newest generation of combat veterans engaged in
advancing freedom for the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan. We care for those
who return wounded and disabled.
These young veterans and our Pearl Harbor veterans are linked by time,
history and America's commitment to honor and support them, not only in time
of war while they fight to defend freedom, but for all time. We must remember
the freedoms they have won for us through
their blood, sweat and tears.
"Remember Pearl Harbor" became the battle cry that united our wounded nation
at a time of profound crisis. The significance and symbolism of that call
resounded with every American. It left no doubt for whom and for what they
were fighting and that victory would bring a better, freer world.
Today, we still "Remember Pearl Harbor." We remember it not only as an
important event but a lesson in history. We remember Pearl Harbor to keep it
alive in the hearts and minds of all Americans. We Remember Pearl Harbor so
that the strength and character of its veterans will continue to live in our
hearts and inspire us no matter what challenges or crises we face.
General Colin Powell, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had this
to say as he remembered Pearl Harbor Day in 1991 after the Gulf War
"We remember Pearl Harbor We must not forget the past. We must not forget
those who sacrificed, but we must also remember the reason for their
sacrifice. They died so tyranny would die. They died to create a better
world for those of us who followed them. Their sacrifice was not in vain. No,
not in vain."
As long as we remember our veterans and why they serve their service and
sacrifice will never be in vain.
want to be reminded of the war and the sacrifice that so many made, not only
that day, but in the years that followed. We now must draw strength and
wisdom from the past and not forget.
_______________________________________________
Sixty plus years ago President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced to
Americans and the world that the unimaginable had happened, America had
been attacked without warning and without provocation by the Japanese at the
U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans were dead
and 1,100 wounded.
December 7, 1941 became a moment in American history, a time that remains
forever transfixed in our minds as a date which shall live in infamy.
The attack on Pearl Harbor launched a chain of events that determined
America's fortune and future throughout the remainder of the twentieth
century. The impact of our Nation's response to that unprecedented attack
reverberates today.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we remember the lives lost in that
attack; we honor our veterans of that momentous event with us today; and we
salute our World War II veterans and the entire generation of Americans,
our greatest generation, who preserved this nation and advanced freedom
around the globe during those horrific years of a war fought on a scale not
seen before or since.
It began at Pearl Harbor and ended with a bomb in Japan. Sixteen million
Americans served in World War II; 400,000 did not return from its
battlefields; nearly 700,000 veterans came home wounded or disabled. Since
then, we have lost 10 million more. Their numbers thin, but the significance
and meaning of what they did grow.
Today we live and work in the shadow of another unimaginable attack that
claimed thousands of lives on American soil just three years ago. We pray
for the safety of our newest generation of combat veterans engaged in
advancing freedom for the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan. We care for those
who return wounded and disabled.
These young veterans and our Pearl Harbor veterans are linked by time,
history and America's commitment to honor and support them, not only in time
of war while they fight to defend freedom, but for all time. We must remember
the freedoms they have won for us through
their blood, sweat and tears.
"Remember Pearl Harbor" became the battle cry that united our wounded nation
at a time of profound crisis. The significance and symbolism of that call
resounded with every American. It left no doubt for whom and for what they
were fighting and that victory would bring a better, freer world.
Today, we still "Remember Pearl Harbor." We remember it not only as an
important event but a lesson in history. We remember Pearl Harbor to keep it
alive in the hearts and minds of all Americans. We Remember Pearl Harbor so
that the strength and character of its veterans will continue to live in our
hearts and inspire us no matter what challenges or crises we face.
General Colin Powell, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had this
to say as he remembered Pearl Harbor Day in 1991 after the Gulf War
"We remember Pearl Harbor We must not forget the past. We must not forget
those who sacrificed, but we must also remember the reason for their
sacrifice. They died so tyranny would die. They died to create a better
world for those of us who followed them. Their sacrifice was not in vain. No,
not in vain."
As long as we remember our veterans and why they serve their service and
sacrifice will never be in vain.