A Hard Day

Commenter polynikes suggested a post about this. Honestly, I didn't feel up to the task. It's big.

Sixty six years ago today, most of the Pacific fleet based at Pearl was aflame. Aircraft at Hickam, Wheeler, and other bases were smoldering wrecks. In Hawaii, we were struggling to treat the wounded, find and bury the dead, and wondering if assault ships were headed in. It was chaos, blood and pain.

Sixty six years ago today the rest of the nation was just awakening to the reality of what had happened.

Confusion. Chaos. Death. And a nation slowly stumbled to its feet, to recover from the blow and face the reality that a world existed with enemies who weren't afraid of us.

This comparison is loathed by certain people. I have a message for them.

Fuck you very much.

Confusion. Chaos. And death.

Six years ago, someone asked me on the morning of Sept. 11 if I had heard about the plane crash into the World Trade Center. I imagined a small plane off course. An accident. What else could it be?

And then the next plane hit.

Sixty six years ago today we were reeling. And facing the awful reality that at that time, an unknown number of us had perished in a calculated, planned attack. One that intended to kill as many as they possibly could. It took weeks to count the dead. More were dying while we counted.

Six years ago we were reeling. We had by now counted the dead.

It's not different. It's the same goddamn thing.

posted by Dave In Texas at 08:12 PM

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