A Day That Will Live in Infamy

Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. 2,388 men, women and children were killed during the sneak attack which targeted our naval vessels on the morning of December 7, 1941.

The attack on Pearl Harbor rallied a nation that had previously been divided over the United States involvement in WWII, but it came with a heavy price tag not only of the loss of life, but equipment as well. In the initial attack we lost the USS Arizona, Oklahoma, California, West Virginia and Utah while the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Nevada were heavily damaged. Also lost were hundreds of aircraft which hindered our ability to retaliate. Amazingly, all of the ships, with the exception of the Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma were salvaged and returned to action.

On a personal note, my father volunteered for the navy and fought in the pacific theater in 1944-45. He was one of the fortunate ones who escaped without physical injury. I'm quite sure, however that he saw visions of the war throughout his too short life. Say a prayer for our fallen heroes of yesterday, as well as for our heroes of today and tomorrow.

Also, go to anysoldier's website or to soldiers' angels and help out our men and women in uniform any way you can.