Lasting lessons of Pearl Harbor

For a lot of Americans, Pearl Harbor is another longago date in the history book, like the Battle of Bunker Hill or Gettysburg.

Few people have a clear memory of what happened on Dec. 7, 1941. Fewer still can tell us firsthand what happened when the American naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Only five people who survived the attack on the USS Arizona, which killed 1,177 American sailors and Marines, remain alive today.

There will be plenty of pomp at Pearl Harbor today, the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack that left over 2,400 people dead. Later this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will become the first Japanese leader to visit the site and pay his respects. Earlier this year, President Obama similarly became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was used.

Beyond the symbolism of the moment, let us remember today the lessons of Pearl Harbor, which remain as relevant as ever.

When the attack on Pearl Harbor is referred to as a “surprise,” you realize how different things were in 1941. While tensions were rising in the Pacific, American military leaders did not think Japan would attack. There was radar, but the technology was in its infancy. Japanese planes were detected as soon as they entered U.S. airspace, but were mistaken for U.S. planes — until it was too late.

America’s military preparedness would never be the same. The CIA, the Department of Defense and the National Security Council were established, and America quickly became the world’s dominant superpower. In fiscal year 2015, U.S. military spending was almost $600 billion. Money can’t guarantee perfection — September 11 proved that — but American military prowess has never been greater.

Preparedness:

With suspicions and paranoia high after Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were relocated and forced into internment camps in the center of the country. More than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were placed in the camps, by order of President Franklin Roosevelt.

It was a flagrant violation of civil liberties and one of the most shameful episodes in American history.

Shockingly, we hear similar talk today. Kris Kobach, a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, suggested the new administration could reinstate a national registry for immigrants from countries where terrorist groups are active.

Trump himself has backed off any talk of a registry, but during the campaign, he talked often of suspending immigration from any nation “that has been compromised by terrorism ... until it’s proven that vetting mechanisms are in place.” He talked of a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering our country.

The talk was distasteful and against so much of what America stands for. Yet there is no denying it helped get him elected.

Unity: Danger of xenophobia:

The first and only two atomic bombs ever used destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the bombings helped bring an end to World War II, they also showed the world the horror caused by nuclear weapons. More than 200,000 people died in the bombings.

So during the presidential campaign, after decades of anti-proliferation agreements, it was disconcerting to hear Trump suggest more countries should acquire nuclear weapons. He said you want to be “unpredictable” with nuclear weapons. He talked cavalierly about the use of nuclear weapons in Europe.

No wonder Trump’s political opponents questioned whether he should have the nuclear codes.

After Pearl Harbor and our entrance into World War II, America was united as never before in the fight against Japan and then Germany. It was as if everybody either wanted to volunteer for military duty or join the relief effort here at home. Everybody sacrificed to get us through that time.

That national feeling of unity returned again after Sept. 11. American flags were everywhere. Stores couldn’t keep them in stock.

But that unity was short-lived. Economic conditions caused stress, political discourse got coarser and the feeling of “we’re all in this together” faded away.

Today, the nation is more polarized than at any time in recent memory. Trump talked about uniting the country, but the prevailing attitude now is more “us” and “them.”

Less than half of one percent of Americans are in the all-volunteer military. There is no feeling of shared sacrifice. Our differences are dramatized and analyzed on talk radio and cable television. More than ever, Americans seem frustrated and angry with leadership.

But on this day, it is good to remember how our nation came together to defeat mortal enemies. It is good to remember how our personal and political differences didn’t prevent us from uniting for the common good.

The world has changed greatly since Pearl Harbor, but the lessons of that time are more important than ever.

The gravity of atomic weapons: