The United States on Saturday celebrated the 83rd anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, in a volatile world where enemy regimes are collapsing but new challenges continue to emerge.
The world has changed many times since that fateful day in 1941, but the truth is that surprises continue to happen, both good and bad.
Even before the day was over on Saturday, Syria's Iranian-backed regime of Bashar al-Assad appeared to have fallen as Syrian rebels advanced on the capital Damascus. Few would have expected such a thing even a few weeks ago.
But the fact that the rebels include mortal enemies of the United States, such as members of the terrorist group Al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), means the world still does not know what will happen. There is.
The collapse of the regime could mean a new opportunity for peace in the Middle East or a new threat of war.
The participants in World War II were known, but what awaited them was unknown even on the morning of December 7, 1941.
Bob Fernandez, one of the last survivors of the attack, recalled the tragic events of that day:
Fernandez was working as a cook on his ship, the USS Curtis, on the morning of December 7, 1941, and was planning to go dancing that night at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki.
He brought coffee and food to the sailors waiting at the table during breakfast. Then I heard an alarm. Through the porthole, Fernandez saw a plane flying by, wearing the same red ball insignia on Japanese aircraft.
Fernandez ran down three decks to the magazine room, where he and other sailors unlocked a door where someone kept 5-inch (12.7 centimeter) .38 caliber shells and opened the ship. was waiting to begin delivering shells to the main gun.
…
A naval gun hit a Japanese plane, causing it to crash into one of the cranes. Shortly after, a naval gun hit the dive bomber, causing it to crash into the ship and explode below deck, setting the hangar and main deck ablaze, according to the Naval Heritage Command.
Fernandez's ship, the Curtiss, lost 21 men and nearly 60 of its crew were injured.
“We lost a lot of good people. It's not like they did nothing,” Fernandez said. “But in war you never know what will happen.”
After the attack, Fernandez had to clean up the debris. That night he stood guard with a rifle to make sure no one tried to ride. When it was time for him to rest, he fell asleep next to the ship's dead body. He only realized this when a fellow sailor woke him up and told him.
“A Day of Infamy,” as then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it, remains a staple on the American calendar, an opportunity to reflect, commemorate, and appreciate the contributions of those who saved our country. It has become. and the cause of freedom.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
