And it really upsets me that it isn’t. For those who have no idea why I think today should be a holiday in America, on this date in 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked.
I’ve written about World War II before on this blog. I’ve previously said that I think June 6 (D-Day) should be a holiday. But no. In the decades since the end of the worst conflict in history, I’ve never even heard of Congress trying to recognize December 7 as a holiday. And September 11, another day I believe should be a federal holiday, has only been discussed in small numbers.
I obviously wasn’t alive on December 7, 1941, but I imagine that it felt much the same as September 11, 2001. I remember exactly where I was (Ms. Niezgoda’s 4th grade class at Meadows Elementary.) I remember not being able to go outside for recess that day. I remember my dad picking me up from school early. And I remember the news coverage. Technology of the 40s was not what it was in 2001, but whether it was over the radio or in the newspaper or from your neighbor, everyone eventually found out what happened. And I’m sure you’ve all heard the FDR speech at least once.
There have been many events and conflicts in the history of the United States. But how many really bring you back to that specific day? I would say December 7, 1941. June 6, 1944. November 22, 1963 (Kennedy Assassination.) And September 11, 2001.
There won’t be any parades and you may not see anything about Pearl Harbor on the news today, but that doesn’t change how important it is in the history of this country.
Johnny Reads 
I agree. At least part of not repeating it is remembering it!
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My only concern with making Pearl Harbor Day or September 11 national holidays is the way our holidays eventually become commercialized. Mattress sales commercials on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day are tacky, at best. Some retailers would see another holiday as an excuse to make money rather than remember what actually happened that day.
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33,561 auto-crash deaths in the US in 2012. Get over it.
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Oh. I didn’t realize those deaths directly forced the US into a global war. Or that another country’s military was responsible for them. What a dumb fucking comment.
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So, being attacked by /Japan/ forced us into war in /Germany/?
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Are you kidding right now? I’m done. Use Google or read a history book. I don’t care. Just get off my blog while you do it.
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Since you counter that I should /look it up/, I suggest you look into how the allied powers forced Japan out of their post-WW1 shares in China 🙂
It’s nice to have a black and white view of the world, easier to sleep at night, but it’s not realistic.
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[…] Sure books are the heavy focus, but now I include poems and my thoughts on particular subjects like Pearl Harbor and D-Day. I just realized that I posted 12 poems on here this year! Which means I’ve written […]
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