Two days ago we marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor which ushered the United States into World War II, which you remember was the war after “The War to End all Wars.” Or maybe not. I was speaking with a friend that day (the day two days ago, not 80 years ago) and happened to mention I was watching a documentary on the Pearl Harbor of before the attack. The response I got was, “Oh, I’m not into that stuff. I guess I’ve never been interested. In school we didn’t talk about anything that happened before 1960.” This is not a young person saying this. I wanted to say back, “Uh, YOU happened before 1960.” Instead, I thought I’d take all of you on a little history lesson. Just in case.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched 350 carrier-based aircraft and conducted an air strike on the U. S. naval base at Pearl Harbor outside Honolulu, and at Navy and Army Air Corps airfields at Kaneohe, Hickam, Ewa, Bellows and Wheeler. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,100 wounded. Twenty-one ships of the Pacific Fleet had been sunk or damaged, and 75 percent of the planes at the surrounding airfields were damaged or destroyed.

Many people think the attacks on Hawaii were the closest that ever came to mainland USA but in fact, there were four other Japanese attacks and one German incursion onto American soil. Japanese submarines launched missile attacks on the Ellwood Oil Field outside Santa Barbara, California and on Fort Stevens, Oregon, both with minimal damage. Oregon was also the site of aerial bombing when the wooded area at Brookings, Oregon was targeted with incendiary bombs, again inflicting little damage. In 1944 and 1945, the Japanese launched high altitude balloons carried across the Pacific at 30,000 feet on the jet stream. Bombs were timed to drop three days after launching with the hopes they would be over some city or wooded area that would be set on fire by the fallen devices. Over 9,000 such balloons were launched but less than 350 made it across the Pacific, some remarkably as far east as Michigan. The only fatalities were a woman and five children in Oregon. (Oregon had it rough.) Their deaths are considered the only combat casualties to occur on U.S. soil excluding territories during World War II. The largest German incursion onto American soil occurred when two 4 man teams of Nazi saboteurs landed, one in New York and one in Florida, with orders to attack transport hubs, power plants and industrial facilities. No attacks were ever confirmed to this group before they were captured and tried for espionage. In addition to these attacks on American soil, at least 10 ships were sunk by the German navy operating in American waters.

So, that’s enough battle history. If you can’t grasp the pain inflicted on the thousands of people in the then Territory of Hawaii including 68 civilian deaths and the six casualties in Oregon, you can assume it was worse than vaccinated.

Those Americans lucky enough to not be among the 16 million and some sent to war, were subject to terrific life changes. Virtually everyone worked, and almost all work targeted the war effort. Between 1942 and 1945, less than 150 new cars were sold in the United States. No new tires were available so if you were fortunate to have a car and some gas ration coupons and could go anywhere but were then unfortunate enough to have a flat tire, you weren’t going anywhere. But if you did go anywhere, you went there at a national speed limit of 35mph. In addition to gasoline, fuel oil, coal, firewood, butter, sugar, meat, milk (canned milk), shoes, nylon, and silk were among products rationed to be diverted to the military. War also disrupted trade, limiting the availability of some products, and controlling prices of other. To satisfy the war metal needs, basements, backyards, and attics were stripped of old cars, bed frames, and kitchen utensils.

Maybe you want to take a minute and re-read that paragraph in between complaining that you can’t find ANYTHING you’re looking for this Christmas and that it is taking SOOOOOO long to get the little you can find.

Still, most Americans were lucky during World War II. The daily bombing felt by England happened thousands of miles away, the mass executions of Italian and French resistance fighters were farther still. At least three million Chinese were enslaved to work for the Japanese during the war. Never forget the six million Jews who were victims of the Nazis. Also never forget the other casualties of the planned annihilation of “inferiors.” It’s been estimated as many as 17 million civilians died either as a result of Nazi ideological policies. In addition to the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust and an additional 6 million ethnic Poles and other Slavs, and Roma were killed in death camps or by mass shootings, and so also were homosexuals, religious, and other minorities similarly dispatched. On the other side of the world, almost 200,000 Japanese civilians were killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki with at least as many injured. It has been estimated that of the 75 million who were killed in battle during World War II, 40 million were civilians. I said most American civilians were lucky. Not all. About 100,000 Japanese, and about 14,000 German and Italian citizens were interned by the U.S. In case you are wondering, Canada, our “nice” neighbors to the north, had a similar program.

Remember these numbers the next time you want to complain your rights are being trampled when you’re asked to wear a mask or get a shot.

So that’s enough for the non-battle history of WWII. And I even got my couple digs in. Wow, I wonder what kind of world we might be living in if they did talk about some of the history that happened before 1960. Maybe I wouldn’t have to dig so deep.

Sorry it couldn’t have been a happier post so close to Christmas. I guess 80 years ago those people on Oahu thought the same thing. Let’s try to remember these things on days other than remembrance days. Please? Thank you.

(sorry, no cute picture today either)