Ten years ago today, I gave the eulogy at my mother’s memorial service. Numerous in attendance were above the age of eighty-five. I began by saying, “For many of you, the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor seventy years ago defined your lives.”
Indeed it did! The next day, the United States declared war on the Empire of Japan. Then on December 11, Adolph Hitler declared war on the United States. Therefore, within four days, America was in the life-or-death struggle of a two-front war.
During the next four years, eight million men and women would join the armed forces, and millions more built the ships, tanks, trucks, airplanes, guns, and ammunition. The whole endeavor became the most remarkable industrial effort in human history. Every person and family had a stake in the outcome. And tragically, over 400,000 courageous Americans made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our sacred freedom and our great nation.
Ten years on, so many of those that day have passed away. It is now up to us to carry the torch of honor and remembrance.
God Bless America!