Seventy-Three Years Ago Today…!

A nightmarish attack, a hard fought war, two massive bombs, and an unconditional surrender by the attackers.

Once upon a time in America, we fought our enemies and prosecuted wars with the singular intention of “we win, you lose.”  There was no playing nice, no warning of attacks, no “exit strategies” that included telling them when we would just up and leave.  And certainly no concern about which group of “snowflakes” might get offended and need to retire to their “safe place.”

Instead, if and when we got attacked and took a hit, such as we did on December 7, 1941, we would brace ourselves, lick our wounds, tend to our wounded and bury our dead, and then confront the aggressor.

And that is exactly what we did in the immediate days following that infamous day in 1941 when 2403 American military men and civilian personnel perished during a surprise attack by forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The history of that attack and the war that ensued is well documented.  Even still, to this day, there are some on the left who refuse to accept the accounts and want to revise the story more to their liking.

What is irrefutable is that we suddenly found ourselves caught up in yet another world war on two very inhospitable, separate fronts on opposite sides of the globe from each other, fighting desperate enemies who really didn’t like each other, but hated us more.  The European Theatre had already been raging for two years, and our allies on that front were taking a beating.

In answer to the attack, we declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, and three days later, their ally, Germany, declared war on us.

So we fought alongside our allies, we and they had victories and suffered losses together, but there was something different on both sides of the equation. 

Our enemies made up of the Axis powers were as absolutely determined to be victorious as we were, and what it really came down to was who would make the fewest miscalculations and kill more of the other; I.E., who wanted it more, the aggressor or the defender…?!

From the day that Germany made its declaration of war and we became involved, the war in Europe lasted 1244 days culminating in the unconditional surrender of the Nazis on May 5, 1945.

With the majority of allied troops now freed up, all of the Allied Countries focused their attention, troops and resources on ending the war in the Pacific; and a very determined enemy was preparing to stay in the fight until the very last drop of blood from their last soldier was spilled along with the blood of as many of our troops as possible.

The top secret Manhattan Project was complete and we had successfully tested an Atomic Bomb in New Mexico on July 16, 1945.

America was tired of her sons and daughters coming home in body bags; we’d been victorious in Europe, and the threat of a protracted war against Japan with millions more lost on both sides loomed very large, and President Harry Truman was faced with a couple of scenario choices. 

He could either let the war continue for who knows how long and then have to explain to the country and families of countless dead Americans why he didn’t use a massive, war ending weapon that was at his disposal; or he could use that weapon and face criticism from those who would never have agreed to it.  Even a future president, #44, criticized him by virtue of offering an apology to Japan for this nation having done so.

He rightly chose to get it over with and the order was given; on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 in the morning, the Enola Gay, piloted by Paul Tibbetts dropped the first Atomic weapon ever used against an enemy.  Somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 people died and many more were severely wounded.

While there can be no doubt that Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese War Council became unnerved and aghast by the damage wrought by that first bomb, they refused to accept demands for surrender.

So, on August 9, 1945, a second bomber was deployed and headed to its first target of Kokura; however, inclement weather forced the pilot to opt for the secondary target of Nagasaki and at noon on that day the 5 ton “Fat Man” was dropped over that city.

Then, understanding beyond a shadow of a doubt that the United States was capable and willing to continue using these weapons, Japan announced on August 14, 1945 that it would surrender unconditionally and did so formally on September 2, 1945 on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

With that surrender, the war with Japan officially ended 1365 days after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor which started it.  We defeated an enemy that attacked us because we had the means, resolve, and strong leadership to do it.  But if history teaches us nothing else about war, it teaches us that there are no real winners, as both sides always lose much.  As the victor, and at great expense of personnel and materiel, we maintained our way of life; as the aggressor, Japan had nothing to show except lots of dead people, destroyed families and grieving loved ones.

As I reflect on that period, it strikes me once again that back then our enemies lived far away and wore unambiguous, definitive uniforms.  In today’s very real, if undeclared, war, the enemy wears no identifying uniforms; due to PC nonsense, we have welcomed them with open arms and they have infiltrated our culture and live among us at every level and rung on the social ladder.  They are LEOs, Firefighters, Judges, Lawyers, elected officials; they may be your next door neighbor and you may even call them your friend. 

That makes them a far more dangerous enemy than the one living far away wearing a uniform; because while they can be and are recognized by their words and actions by those who can read between the lines, they use our own laws against us and we can’t end today’s war with a once and for all bomb. 

Think about that and let it sink in America..!