Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
So began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's speech to a joint session of congress, asking for a declaration of war, the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. [reference: Pearl Harbor Speech: Day of Infamy ]
And below is a scene from the the movie, aptly titled, Pearl Harbor (2001) :
That plan came to fruition in April of 1942 as the Doolittle Raid. It was led by Jimmy Doolittle, which became known as Thirty Seconds over Tokyo. The attack was a psychological blow for the Japanese. [reference: Jimmy H. Doolittle ]
And three years later came total victory over Japan, known as V.J. Day. And the moment was captured in this iconic picture:
That date, D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord, was a critical day of the allies taking the offensive in Europe during World War Two. It was also a day wrought with military blunders, causing many causalities. But soldiers overcame these obstacles with tremendous courage, making due with the hand they were dealt, as noted here:
Most of the "greatest generation" - those raised during the Great Depression, who fought in World War Two, have passed away, including my father-in-law, Fortunately, he wrote down some of his memories, which I posted here: World War Two: Memories of North Africa
But we owe a debt of gratitude that we can never repay to these patriots, the greatest generation, who sacrificed for others.
And his obituary included the photo, shown above in this public domain picture. And it can be found on wikipedia with the following description:
U.S. Army Air Force Lt. Robert L. Hite, blindfolded by his captors, is led from a Japanese transport plane after he and the other seven flyers were flown from Shanghai to Tokyo. Hite was co-pilot of crew 16 (B-25B s/n 40-2268 Bat out of Hell, 34th Bomb Squadron) of the "Doolittle Raiders". After about 45 days in Japan, all eight were taken back to China by ship and imprisoned in Shanghai. On 15 October 1942 three were executed, one died in captivity. The four others, including Hite, were liberated on 20 August 1945.
And here's some background to this story.
December 7, 1941
The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, caught America by surprise and the country was not prepared for war.
Below is an inspiring clip for the Pearl Harbor (2001), where FDR gathered his top advisers to come up with plan to strike back at the heart of Japan.
In the clip above, the scene ends with the entrance of Captain Francis S. "Frog" Low. This submarine officer formed an ingenious strategy, launching army bombers from an aircraft carrier. This gave birth to the Doolittle Raid.
* Spring of 1942
Those early days of the war, American moral was at its nadir. Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific had pushed American troops into retreat. Many men were lost in the fall of the Philippines, culminating in the infamous Bataan Death March.
* April 18, 1942
Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle trained and lead a crew of 80 to strike back. So on April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25s took off from the desk of the USS Hornet, 650 miles south of Japan.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo became the title of the book (1943) written by Ted Lawson and the movie (1944) as shown in this clip below:
Those critical 30 seconds, April 18, 1942, was a great morale boost for America. Though the war would not end for three more years, September 1945, the Doolittle Raid gave hope that we could win.
For a list of the 80 men that took part in the raid, 5 men in each of the 16 planes, check out: Doolittle Raider 80 Brave Men
The sacrifice
Here are the causalities of the brave men who suffered and gave their lives:
* One man, Faktor, was killed on a bail-out after the mission
* Two men, Fitzmaurice and Dieter, drown in a crash landing off the China coast
* Eight men, Hallmark, Meder, Nielsen, Farrow, Hite, Barr, Spatz, and DeShazer,
were captured by the Japanese:
* Three men executed by firing squad: Hallmark, Farrow, and Spatz
* One died as a POW from malnutrition, Meder
* The remaining four, Nielsen, Hite, Barr, and DeShazer,
survived 40 months of prison,
most of which was in solitary confinement
* And Hite lived till 95, passing away March 29, 2015
* Capt. Ted W. Lawson survived his plane's crash off the coast of China. Though the underground rescued him, his injured leg had to be amputated. He lived to write the book, turned movie: Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
Now only two of the original Doolittle Raiders survive as I type (April 11, 2015): retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole and Staff Sgt. David Thatcher.
* April 12, 1945
FDR would not live to see the allied victory over Europe or Japan, as he died on April 12, 1945. But this Commander-in-Chief, struggling with a debilitating handicap, gave courage to the country to carry on, to take risks, to do what it takes to win, and to never give up during dark days.
And the Doolittle Raid is part of America's story.
Remember when TV stations used to sign off for the day?
If you don't, you are probably under 30.
Before 24/7 cable, a station ended its day - late at night or early in the morning - usually with a short, but inspiring or patriotic video. And one such sign-off video (shown below) plays to the appropriate tune, The Star Spangled Banner, as it shows the evolution of the American flag throughout our history - from Jamestown (1607) to the moon landing (1969).
And that clip above is both quite a historical and an educational tribute to Flag Day - which we recognize each year on June 14th. Since the early days of our history, the American flag has represented freedom - something very fragile in an evil world - and our country's ideals of liberty and justice for all.
But ....
70 years ago ...
the United States celebrated a more poignant Flag Day, one in which freedom and our country were greatly in peril.
The year was 1942.
The United States had just entered into World War Two (1939 - 1945) after Japan and Germany had declared war on us, embroiling us in another world war not to be equalled in the rest of the 20th century.
During those trying times, the Nazi juggernaut had rolled up the map of continental Europe. Japan had nearly wiped out our Pacific fleet with their attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Yet, we had just fought the Battle of Midway the previous week (June 4 - 7, 1942) and had won a decisive victory against Japan, giving hope to turn the tide in our favor in the Pacific theater.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, during these dark days, broadcast his Flag Day speech to the nation, closing with a prayer for the world.
The clip below plays an excerpt from the last part of that prayer, shown with some moving images of World War Two, which are from the end credits of the series, World War II in HD.
The Spirit of man has awakened The Soul of man has gone forth
Grant us the wisdom and the vision to comprehend the greatness of man's Spirit that suffers and endures so hugely for a goal beyond his own brief span
We are all of us children of Earth Grant us that simple knowledge If our brothers are oppressed, then we are oppressed If they hunger, we hunger If their freedom is taken away, our freedom is not secure
Grant us a common faith, that man shall know bread and peace That he shall know justice and righteousness, Freedom and security, an equal opportunity, and an equal chance to do his best, not only in our own lands, but throughout the world.
And in that faith, let us march, march toward the clean world, our hands can make. Amen
The entire text of FDR's radio address can be found here: Franklin D.
Roosevelt: "Radio Address on United Flag Day.," June
14, 1942. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,
The American Presidency Project.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=16276.
It's been 70 years since these words ending with a prayer were first broadcast to the nation ... on Flag Day. And it was one of many prayers offered during World War Two. (reference: World War Two and National Prayer.) Yet, this prayer speaks to the great needs of our nation and the world in the 21st century.
And may we continue to pray to rely on God for help and wisdom as we face the great challenges and difficult days ahead, and with His infinite grace and mercy, prevail. Amen.
So ....
Keep praying for
America for
...
Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord ... Psalm
33:12 (NIV)
D-Day marked the start of the allied invasion into France, known as Operation Overlord, during World War Two. Since the date had not been determined until its final approval, D-Day was the date used for planning purposes. But the invasion plans all came together, commencing on June 6, 1944 ... and the rest is history.
My father-in-law was part of the overall invasion, landing a few days after D-Day. Since then much has been written about this critical time in the 20th century. And some blockbuster movies have been made to play out the drama of the invasion. (The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan,Band of Brothers, to mention a few.)
For a brief history on D-Day, feel free to check out a few of the resources below:
As D-Day began and President Franklin Roosevelt broadcast his prayer to the American people:
" ... And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
"With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
The enemy to freedom is not so overt or defined. The real enemy is spiritual and takes on many forms and contrives many plans to enslave and destroy us. We need wisdom to discern ...
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
And we - like soldiers - need special weapons to fight this enemy and get the victory:
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
