EDITORIAL : A DAY TO REMEMBER; PEARL HARBOR CHANGED THE U.S. FOREVER.AMERICA, separated from the rest of a warring world by two mighty oceans, was at peace as Dec. 7 dawned in 1941. That ended when carrier-borne Japanese aircraft, striking without warning, attacked Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. in Hawaii, the home of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack left 19 ships, including most of the Navy's battleships The list of battleships includes all battleships since 1859, listed alphabetically. The list also contains battlecruisers which share most of the characteristics of a battleship or have otherwise been referred to as battleships. , sunk or damaged. More than 2,000 Americans died. A day later, in his war message to Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt characterized Dec. 7 as ``a date which will live in infamy Notoriety; condition of being known as possessing a shameful or disgraceful reputation; loss of character or good reputation. At Common Law, infamy was an individual's legal status that resulted from having been convicted of a particularly reprehensible crime, rendering him .'' Dec. 7, 1941, certainly was ``a date which will live in infamy.'' But the attack on Pearl Harbor did more than send Americans to war in far-flung places many thousands of miles from home. It also marked the end of America's isolationist i·so·la·tion·ism n. A national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. i age of innocence in world affairs Noun 1. world affairs - affairs between nations; "you can't really keep up with world affairs by watching television" international affairs affairs - transactions of professional or public interest; "news of current affairs"; "great affairs of state" . Americans found themselves thrust into a position of international leadership in the struggle against aggression in Europe and Asia. They quickly transformed the oceans that had isolated America from the rest of the world into nautical highways that allowed the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to project its overwhelming power against Germany and Japan. When the war was over, the United States didn't, as it had after World War I, shrink from the burden of leadership and turn inward. It accepted the responsibilities that it assumed during the war and has led the free world ever since in its search for peace and democracy. Throughout this time the United States has been guided by lessons learned at Pearl Harbor. One is that the United States can't afford to allow itself to become militarily weak. Another is that the United States can't afford to avoid taking a leadership role on the diplomatic front. There have been, and probably always will be, disagreements over what policies the United States should follow in particular circumstances. But while sometimes it is better to leave the fighting to others, Pearl Harbor reminds us that it also can be dangerous to avoid any engagement at all. We don't care to rekindle re·kin·dle tr.v. re·kin·dled, re·kin·dling, re·kin·dles 1. To relight (a fire). 2. To revive or renew: rekindled an old interest in the sciences. the angry emotions that were aroused by the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nevertheless, we do believe it is appropriate on this, the 56th anniversary of ``a date which will live in infamy,'' to heed the painful lessons that were learned at Pearl Harbor and honor all those who selflessly served their country during World War II. |
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