Editorial

Pearl Harbor: Same focus needed for today's issues

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

It was 69 years ago this morning that the Imperial Japanese Navy, wanting the U.S. Navy out of the way when it later attacked British and Dutch interests in Southeast Asia and U.S. interests in the Philippines, launched two waves of aircraft, 353 from six aircraft carriers, against the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor.

Four U.S. battleships were sunk (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war), four others were damaged, three cruisers and three destroyers were sunk or damaged, 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded.

In exchange, the Japanese lost only 29 aircraft, five midget submarines and 65 servicemen were killed or wounded, and one Japanese sailor was captured.

Nothing like it happened to the United States again until September 11, 2001, when the 19 hijackers killed nearly 3,000 people in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the brave passengers of a plane who fought back, crashing near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

As horrible as the two attacks were, they did have the effect of bringing our nation together for one purpose, opposing a common enemy.

Terrorists are more cowardly than our World War II opponents, attacking unarmed civilians and "soft" targets, hiding behind laws that protect a free society and forcing restrictions like airport pat-downs on innocent citizens. While the "War on Terror" has gone out of fashion in Washington, there is still widespread support of the brave military personnel on the front lines in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

We face another threat that could cause as much or more damage to our nation as the Axis powers or terrorists, but lack a galvanizing event to bring all of us together to face the common foe. The near-meltdown of our financial system and "great recession" should have provided that focus, yet Washington remains mired in partisan posturing.

Let's hope our leaders find a way to bring us together to fight fiscal irresponsibility through discipline and sacrifice the same way their predecessors did in earlier times.


If you'd like to reminisce about Pearl Harbor, or hear first-hand stories for the first time, you should go to the Bieroc Cafe at 7 p.m. today for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival event. Bring your own stories and be prepared to enjoy hearing those told by others.

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