I was only a year and seven months old in 1941, so I don't remember the attack that brought us into WWII. I've read the history though, and it's my belief that, like 9-11, the Japanese attack should be remembered in vivid detail each year. Whatever political party we belong to, we need to be reminded of the price others have paid for our freedom and that there still are those in the world who would destroy it.
I've selected two You Tube videos. The first is a collection of photos that overlay a song written soon after the attack (that's Sammy Kaye's orchestra providing the music). This video was prepared by a blogger named Jim Cox.
Here's the second video: Roosevelt's speech to congress and to the nation (via radio) which he made the day after the attack. After the speech, it took congress only seven minutes to declare war on Japan.
The Cumberland Post
My Backyard, Six Miles from the Cumberland River
The Tube O' You is a national treasure when it comes to videos like these. Everyone can access it, unlike the Library of Congress or the National Archives, and that's what makes it so wonderful. I'd never seen or heard the "Remember Pearl Harbor" tune before; thanks for that! And great minds think alike: I've posted an excerpt from FDR's speech for a few years running.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've heard that song either, Dan. If I have, I've forgotten it.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't born until 1959, so I've lived through WWII through the stories of my grandfathers, great uncles & great aunts, mother, father, and my beloved great-grandmothers (may God rest their souls).
If I got started, I wouldn't finish...but the most important thing I took away from all they've told me about it is just how disruptive the Jap attack was. Millions of men were forced by duty and honor to leave their wives, children, parents, careers...really, everyone in the nation had their lives turned upside down.
My Granddaddy was my best friend as a kid. I swear, there was a deep-seated hatred & distrust of the Japanese that he carried through his life until he died in 1981. He never forgave them for pulling him away from my grandmother & mother, who was a small child. He despised those "dirty yellow bastards," and would never buy (or sell...he was a merchant) anything made by "those filthy Japs."
It is indeed a day that should be remembered. Thanks for the videos, Dan.