A few minutes before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, the peace of a sleepy Sunday morning was shattered as hell was unleashed upon the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was an overt act of war initiated to commit horrendous destruction as well as to kill as many enemy military personnel as possible. And, in just two hours, over 2,400 Americans had been killed and 1,178 U.S. military personnel and civilians had been wounded, 188 aircraft had been completely destroyed with an additional 159 more aircraft damaged. Additionally, 20 ships were either completely sunk, seriously damaged, or crippled.
Americans remember Dec. 7, 1941, as an incredibly dark day in the nation's history; however, a remembrance of this atrocity should not evoke hatred or ill-will toward Japanese people--there is so much animosity and resentment already and no more will do any good. Now, any memory of such an insidious atrocity should be focused on looking at unrestrained government tyranny. Remembrance of such an insidious attack upon Pearl Harbor in light of the current international tensions and recent world conflict, should stimulate Americans to more deeply understand our present conditions of being at war with the government of Communist China.