Pearl Harbor: Day Of Infamy
Victoria B. Roberts
Sunday, December 7, 1941
Was a day like any other
Nothing new under the sun
But the silence was shattered
By the roaring of warplane engines filling the air
We thought they were our own
Until something happened
That told us this just wasn’t so
A rain of bullets fell upon aircraft, ships, and land
Destroying the life we knew
Thundering bombs fell to the harbor
Bursting holes into our ships
That were docked here at Pearl Harbor
The Arizona was hit
Wrenching it upwards then sinking it to the bottom of the harbor
The Oklahoma rolled over on its side
With men trapped in the capsized hull
Complete chaos spread across the land
Fighters manned their battle-stations
As the medical staff worked to patch up the wounded
We saw our friends, our family, our comrades
As they fought and died
Then just as suddenly as it began the attack was over
REMEMBER…
Victoria Beth Roberts
Remember the Alamo, the cry was heard
We remembered for awhile, then forgot all the lessons we learned
Remember the Lusitania, rang out loud and strong
We remembered it then, but no longer recall the ship that was sunk
Remember Pearl Harbor, was heard in a march
We recalled for awhile, then the lessons were lost
Remember 911, was heard across the land
We recalled for a time, then forgot what happened that day
We forgot the Alamo and the stand those people took
We forgot the Lusitania and all those who died
We forgot Pearl Harbor and the lives that were lost
We forgot 911 and the tragedies that occurred
Let’s remember the past in order to prevent further attacks
Let’s remember the past so as not to make the same mistakes as others
Let the horrors of war flash before our eyes
Lest we forget those who fought, died, and won the freedoms we enjoy
Early in the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the people of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were getting ready for Christmas, for Church, or just enjoying a relaxing and restful day. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, planes appeared overhead. Many thought they were from the mainland to augment the troops stationed here, but they weren’t. The peaceful morning was swiftly interrupted when bombs began to explode all around. The place was in utter chaos as people ran screaming for safety or, in the case of those in the military and medical professions, running to work. While those in the military rushed to defend the land, the medical personnel rushed to tend the wounded.
It was sixty-seven years ago on this day, that Japanese forces attacked and bombed Pearl Harbor leading us to join the fight of World War II. To all those who served at Pearl Harbor, THANK YOU!! I will never forget.
For sometime now, I’ve been waiting for this date to come. I knew about June 6 and what happened on this day. However, it didn’t occur to me until I was preparing for class today the overall significance of this date.
It was Tuesday, June 6, 1944 that Operation Overlord was put into affect. It just so happens that today is Tuesday, June 6, 1944.
I wish I had realized this a week or so ago. If I had, I would have sent to the newspaper something I had written a few years ago about this date. I’m including it here.
AMERICA’S INVOLVEMENT AT NORMANDY
This is a speech that I gave in one of my history classes and I thought it was perfect for today.
By: Victoria B. Roberts
It is Tuesday, June 6, 1944. The troops of three countries arrive in Normandy, France prepared to invade the Germans. These countries came together to work out a plan of invasion which they called Operation Overlord. These three countries were Great Britain, Canada, and the United States of America. This day was to be the beginning of the end of the second World War.
The plans for Operation Overlord began in the summer of 1943. This plan was for troops from three countries to attack the Germans by land, by air, and by sea. This invasion was to begin in Normandy and spread across Europe to Germany. The operation was coordinated by the British Lt. General Frederick Morgan and his staff. The American General, Dwight D. Eisenhower was chosen to be the Supreme Allied Commander in 1943. It was his job to lead the Allied forces into Normandy where they would begin to invade the Germans and thus defeat them.
The troops of Great Britain, Canada, and the United States met on the coast of England and prepared for D-Day. There were more than 2,800,000 Allied soldiers who boarded more than 10,000 planes and thousands of vessels. The plan was that each group would break off and invade different parts of France. The beaches, which were to be invaded, were given code names. Americans were to land and fight on the beaches of Omaha and Utah.
Paratroopers were the key to setting the stage for the actual invasion. Two American airborne divisions landed near Utah beach to set the stage for attack. They were to capture the main roads and bridges around Utah and throw the Germans, who were in the area, into confusion.
Utah proved to be a difficult battle. Weather conditions separated the two U.S. airborne divisions so that several smaller battles were fought instead of one large battle.
The problems in the way the parachuters were forced to land actually worked in their favor. The Germans were confused By the American parachuters’ landing pattern and were rather slow in their fighting.
There were also problems at Omaha Beach. The storm had left its mark as a cloud dropped down into a fog to hide the shore from outside view. The waters near Omaha were dangerously rough. Many of the dual-drive tanks, which were to be part of the ground assault, arrived late or never arrived at all.
The invasion of Normandy was successful and proved to be the beginning of the end of the second world war. The allied forces pushed across Europe to Germany and fought until the last German had surrendered unconditionally.
It is obvious from an earlier attempt by the British and the Canadians, that the Allies could not and would not be successful in winning World War II if it had not been for the American entrance into the war.
The day, Tuesday, June 6, 1944 will long be remembered and never forgotten.
