By John Amato
As the nation prepares to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the sneak attack by Japan on the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, it is important that we never forget all of those who lost their lives on that terrible Sunday morning.
They had no idea what was coming, and there are still over 1,000 sailors entombed in the hull of the USS Arizona. America became even more resolute after the attack, and as President Franklin Roosevelt said in a speech before Congress asking for a declaration of war between the United States and the Japanese Empire, “Today, Sunday December 7th 1941, is a date which shall live in infamy.”
As Admiral Yamamoto of the Japanese Imperial Navy said after the attack, “I fear that today, we have awakened a sleeping giant.” He was so very right. Four years later, with two major Japanese cities destroyed by atomic weapons, Japan surrendered and the war was over.
May God bless all of our brave servicemen and women, who sacrifice so much so that we can live in a free and prosperous country. However, the memories of what took place will never be and should not be ever forgotten by all Americans.
John Amato
Fresh Meadows
