Honoring Our Fallen Heroes on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day – EA Truth Media Editorial
by Dusty Rastetter | Contributor | Eternal Affairs Media
Today is a day of remembrance, of many things. It was on this day that Pearl Harbor was attacked. This was the first attack upon our soil by a foreign power. Sadly, it was not the last, but that’s another story. We lost 2,403 of our nation’s finest on this day, 78 years ago. I don’t know about you, but days like this really hit me hard. I love this country, I support our military forces. My heart bleeds on these occasions where we have lost so many, senselessly.
There are a lot of things that we can take away from this day. One thing, in particular, stands out to me. It’s a many faceted ideal called patriotism. Patriotism takes many forms, and it’s days like this that bring them all into focus. The tenets of patriotism that personally mean the most are acceptance, determination, and brotherhood. Allow me to explain.
Being a Patriot means that we have to accept that things have happened. In doing so, I find two things to be most important. First, we need to acknowledge that attacks do happen on American soil. And when they happen, they devastate us. We are not as insulated and protected as we’d like to believe, ever. The second thing is, the importance of not holding a grudge and moving past it. As a nation, we have done a commendable job of moving beyond what was once a hatred for Asian people. Our hearts are big and forgiving, and I’m proud to be a part of such a generous country.
We, as a nation, the most determined people in the world in my opinion. We adhere to our standards, the rule of law. We accept all those who wish to join us with a pure heart. It doesn’t matter where you came from, we encourage all to celebrate being American. The other side of that same token is that we will always seek to be the most formidable foe imaginable should anyone choose to harm any of us. We are truly a “take it or leave it” people. We’re a polarizing nation in this great world of ours. Our power, earned through the freedoms that we have, means that we can literally be the best friend or worst enemy imaginable of any other nation.
We can be such because we are not a venomous, poisonous people. We are a brotherhood that loves any who wish for freedom and choose to enjoy the freedoms that we have. This spirit of brotherhood is what defines us as a people. We realize that things are ever changing in this crazy world. In the end, all we have is each other. On every day of reflection, such as this very important day of remembrance, I realize two things- we need to honor those that died to protect our freedom, and love the ones who are still here fighting to keep that freedom alive. This day of infamy is truly a reminder of the greatness that is the United States of America.
