Do You Recall Pearl Harbor?
As Rocky Balboa said "Time, You Know, Takes Everybody Out. It's Undefeated."
If you were 18 years old on December 7th, 1941, you would be 100 today. The Second World War is fading beyond personal reckoning.
If you turned 18 during the summer of 1863, the year of the Battle of Gettysburg and the capture of Vicksburg, you were 100 on December 7th, 1941.
We are as far from MacArthur, Patton, and Nimitz as they were from Grant, Sherman, and Farragut.
We are as far from FDR as he was from Abraham Lincoln.
The events of World War II are moving from living memory to historical memory, things we know but did not see, and we can no longer speak to anyone who did. As the veterans and witnesses of that era age and pass away, the direct, personal recollections of these events become rarer. Thinking about it reminds me that the understanding and interpretation of military leadership and strategy evolve as new challenges and technologies emerge. They have to. Putting those changes from 1863-1941 into words without breaking out a diagram is hard. Yes, warfare and military strategies have continuously evolved; they always have. However, from the Civil War to World War II, there were significant advancements in weaponry, tactics, and communication, which would have been fantastical to the generals of the Union War.
Indeed, the Civil War and World War II contexts were different. Nevertheless, there are thematic similarities, such as an existential struggle for freedom, the impact on society, and the role of leadership during times of crisis. But also a reaffirmation that the United States of America was worth massive sacrifices. As time passes, how we remember and interpret past events like Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, or Vicksburg can shape our understanding of current and future challenges. We cannot recall Gettysburg; soon, no one will recall Pearl Harbor. But we have a duty to remember.
Now, try this one. If you were 18, standing with General George Washington and Hamilton at the Siege of Yorktown in the autumn of 1781...you were 100 in 1863 when Lincoln declared that Thanksgiving would be the last Thursday in November and when the Union Army under Thomas and Hooker cleared the way to Chattanooga.
So, we are as far from Pearl Harbor as it was from Fort Sumter and as far as Sumter was from Yorktown. Time is something else.