Honoring Pearl Harbor

Dec. 7th 1941- A day for all the world to remember. It was a day that Japanese forces raided a U.S. base stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was a solemn day from sea to sea, many Americans were shocked to wake up and hear FDR's address. For the men who lost their lives and families of the soldiers on both sides, my heart goes out to you.
To remember the day properly, you have to take another perspective. Native people from Japan attacked and yet Japanese-Americans also were punished by the United States. It was decreed that anyone of Japanese descent was to report to an internment camp. Anyone who looked it or had it in their bloodline was immediately shipped off.
Imagine this; you are planning for the day. You are getting dressed and hear a knock at the door. There is a man with a rifle that orders you and your family to drop everything and come to internment. This means that you have to give up your house, say goodbye to friends and leave in a truck with a stranger. Many families encountered this insanity and many heard President Roosevelt's firm declaration. The prisoners were split from their families in most cases, and sent to live in an insanitary 'relocation' camp for years. Thousands of citizens of the U.S. were outcast merely because where there ancestors came from. For those that didn't, they were treated with hate and opposition. For the victims of such outrageous behavior the scars can still be seen in their memory and in their children. This was a time in America where freedom was paled by the calls of war. This was a time where hate and racism was again born on our soil and has remained there since. The footprint left by the mistreatment of these people is evident in the stories that are still told. They are grim tales of fear and abuse. Although it wasn't the holocaust, it was an unjust solution to a nonexistent problem. The ignorance that results in war always leaves its mark in both peoples and it will always be there. I tremble at the thought that if any of this happened today, my family and I might be placed in these prisons.
But it isn't just a tragedy, it is much more. Remembering Pearl Harbor in the proper manner takes more than thinking about the misdeeds. It is a time to honor the victims and families that will forever be effected. It is a time to reflect on mistakes and move forward. It is a time to forgive and forget our differences. This day isn't a time to mourn, it is a day that began a new era in America. By honoring the people who came before me in my culture and the people whose lives were ultimately given up, you truly recognize December 7th, 1941. It was a day that Americans turned on their own citizens and a day that will live in infamy.