Choose to Remember

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 2,395 Americans lost their lives in the unprovoked attack. As a result the United States declared war on Japan. We were already involved in the war in Europe as we and our Allies sought to defeat Germany after their unprovoked aggression. It was truly a World War.

It took four long, hard years to defeat the enemy in the Pacific. The cost in American lives was tremendous. On average 8000 soldiers gave their lives every month; 8000. Even as I sit here and write this, it is very hard to understand that kind of sacrifice. In Iraq and Afghanistan, by comparison, about 50 soldiers per month on average are killed. And still, that number seems staggering...

Tonight I had the pleasure of watching my oldest son perform with his school choir. I drove to the concert in a nice warm truck, sat in a beautiful church, listened from the comfort of a padded pew, and took pictures with a digital SLR. This is a wonderful country. I live in comfort and security. Nathan and I talked about that on the way home from the concert. We talked about people dying for freedom. We talked about World War II and the Japanese attack. We talked about how many Americans died at Pearl Harbor. We talked about how many Americans died on September 11th. We talked about how we must never forget the price our soldiers paid for our freedoms.

I'm glad Nathan listened to me. Sometimes that is a rare thing, but tonight he listened. We can never forget or relegate to the back page the suffering and sacrifice that our troops have made for our way of life. The liberals and anti-war protesters would do well to remember too. The sacrifice made by our military allowed them to have a voice. Maybe they should think about that before they use it.

That last thought seemed a little random, but it isn't. I was truly disappointed today to see that the major media outlets on the web placed the story of Pearl Harbor third or lower on the list of top stories - some didn't even mention it; others only mentioned that this is the last year that the survivors will gather. I think it is a shame that so few seem interested.

I choose to remember. I wasn't born when Pearl Harbor happened, but I choose to remember. Our troops are fighting to keep us free even now. I choose to remember. No matter what you think the war is for or not for, please remember that those people we are engaged with supported the people who attacked us on 9/11. I choose to remember. There are many in the world that want to see our way of life destroyed. I choose to remember.

Choose to remember Pearl Harbor and the Americans who died there. Choose to remember 9/11 and the Americans who died there. Choose to remember our troops and the war we are in now as you prepare to enjoy Christmas in the comfort of your home on your computer reading this blog.

Choose to remember...