Backwoods Savage, you beat me to it. I was just going to post that it is so sad that there is barely any mention of Pearl Harbor in the news anymore, and if there is, it seems to only focus on the internment of Japanese-Americans after the attack. So tired of people trying to cram today's politically correct BS into events of a different era. You speak with anyone who was alive during that time period, or do any actual research into the barbarism of the Japanese Empire before and during the war, and you will see why the hatred was prevalent (and this is from someone who spent several years stationed in Okinawa, worked a lot with the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and have a deep affection for the Okinawans and the Japanese people). That was a different time. Never forget those who sacrificed everything.
I well remember an uncle of mine not that long after the war when he stated of all the countries he had been to (many!) he still thought Japan was one of the best and if he had to move to another country it would be to Japan. As a small boy I couldn't understand.
Of all the countries I deployed to, I had some of the best times while living in Okinawa and working with the Japanese military. One of the best operations I was ever on was in Hokkaido during some winter training. The Japanese I had the privilege to work with there were incredible (and how often does a 'kid' from NH get to bomb around on a snowmobile with a case of C4 explosives strapped to the back?). I remember when one of the interpreters realized I was a hunter, he brought in some venison sashimi the next day (they have sika deer there). First time I had eaten raw venison but when in Rome... I have quite a few friends who retired to Okinawa or mainland Japan and I would go back in a heartbeat.
My Dad spent 3 years in the Navy on ships in the Pacific during WW2. Definitely a different time in our history. Even after listening to my Dad's stories (the few he would tell), I can't imagine living though that stuff when I was 16 and 17 years old... I'm a firm supporter of our military personnel, past and present. In the modern world our son spent a year going to school in Japan and our family has great respect for their nation today.
My dad was a WWII veteran, stationed in the CBI theater, mostly in Burma and India. He was Army Air Force back then. Worked on planes flying fuel into China over The Hump (Himalayas) He said he saw some of the torture the Japanese inflicted on their prisoners...... I'm glad times are much better with them now. I heard the story of the Japanese leader that led the attack on Pearl Harbor, a few years after the war he learned and JESUS, became saved and spent the rest of his life giving his testimony and sharing THE WORD.
