Remember Pearl Harbor

Eighty-two years ago today, Americans woke up to the shocking news of a surprise attack on our Navy at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As storm clouds gathered in Europe and Asia, Americans in the 1930s wanted to avoid the problems beyond our borders. But the attack on Pearl Harbor gave us no choice. It brought the war home to us.

In every city and town, men like my father, Stanley “Spike” Bauer, ran to enlistment centers. It would be months before we won a battle in the South Pacific, where my father fought as part of the First Marine Corps Division. But we ultimately prevailed, defeating the Japanese warlords and Hitler’s Germany.

Could we win a war like that against our major adversaries today? Could we defeat communist China or the Islamic Republic of Iran? While our military is certainly much more powerful, our nation is much weaker in many ways.

Yes, America had problems when World War II began. We had greater poverty, and we had a lot of progress to make on civil rights.

But Americans believed we were an exceptional nation, a blessed nation. The country then overwhelmingly believed in the God of the Bible. There was a consensus on reliable standards of right and wrong.

Today, we’re divided over our flag and our national anthem. Our children are indoctrinated to believe that our country is evil, founded on genocide and slavery.

As a result, many of our youth don’t see America as a special country worth defending. Many don’t love America, and some even side with Hamas and Osama Bin Laden!

It’s no surprise at all that the military is struggling to meet recruiting goals.

But every generation is called upon to sacrifice for the preservation of freedom. On December 6, 1941, few Americans appreciated the dangers they were facing. On September 10, 2001, few Americans had any idea what horror was about to be unleashed. I fear we are facing a similar situation now.

Surely our enemies are watching and realize just how divided we are. In fact, it is increasingly difficult to tell the difference between foreign propaganda and the talking points of the neo-Marxist left! (Here, here, and here.)

Millions of brave American soldiers who have passed away are watching to see whether we can muster the courage to defend this great country, just as they did more than 80 years ago.