As terrorism events seem to be reported with frighteningly more increased regularity these days, it’s important to look back to what’s considered to be the first attack on U.S. soil: the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. On this, the 74th anniversary of the tragedy, we honor the 2,403 dead and 1,178 injured American non-combatants. View a live stream of today’s remembrance events here.
Many of us are related to or personally knew someone who was directly affected by the event, although I suppose one could say that just about every American alive on that day was affected in some way. When the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) PestWorld conference took place in Honolulu in 2005, my husband and I were lucky enough to add some vacation time afterward. We visited the USS Arizona Memorial, and were glad we did. We learned things we didn’t learn in school — good, bad and ugly. We felt the very real, physical reverence that is present on the dock there, in the oil that still spills out from the USS Arizona to this day.
Realizing the good relations the U.S. enjoys with Japan today gives hope that we’ll see peace with other countries in our lifetime as well. Our staff gives thanks to our military veterans and active-duty soldiers, who try to bring our world one step closer to peace every day.
-HG
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