Silverberg: Remember Dec. 7 and other anniversaries
As far back as I can remember, Dec. 7 was a special day in my household. My maternal grandmother, who lived with us throughout my childhood and who had been widowed many years before, faithfully marked the day as her wedding anniversary.
Some might think it odd to commemorate a wedding date when one of the partners has been gone for such a long time, but it always seemed perfectly normal to me. As long as my grandmother was alive, I called her on that day to say I remembered and I continued the tradition with my mother even after Alzheimer's left her memory somewhat foggy.
But obviously, there was another reason to commemorate Dec. 7 in our household as it was for families across America. My father trained Army Air Corps (later the U.S. Air Force) pilots during the war and my parents were married in 1943 despite the obstacles such an event presented in wartime. They had met soon after that infamous day and their relationship blossomed while Daddy awaited orders for basic training. With the faith that only love can inspire, they hastily planned a wedding knowing there was a chance the groom wouldn't be able to make it. He did, they married and luckily the war left Daddy unscathed. Otherwise I wouldn't be here.
The juxtaposition of war and romance, of remembering particular anniversaries whether they were joyous or tragic, takes on a special meaning as the years pass and fewer of the original players are left.
Last year, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, which was founded in 1958, officially disbanded because so few members were still alive and able to participate in group activities.
Though a sons-and-daughters organization is seeking to carry on the tradition of commemoration, there is a recognition that as time passes the significance of Dec. 7 could be lost on too many Americans.
The attack on Pearl Harbor, which precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II, stands out as the seminal tragic moment for that generation of Americans, just as the Kennedy assassination was for my generation and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 were for those who are now adults.
Learning from and about those events is part of our shared culture as Americans, and thus it becomes important to mark and remember the anniversaries.
In the case of the Pearl Harbor attack, the war that followed had a profound impact on the path of this nation for at least the next half-century.
The attack itself killed 2,400 Americans, and World War II in total cost some 400,000 Americans their lives. But good came from that war as well. For one thing, it ended the most intractable economic downturn in American history. It also provided more Americans than ever with access to higher education and thus better jobs, and it helped to make this nation the greatest industrial power in the world. Seeds planted during wartime led to the civil rights movement and the ascendancy of equal rights for women.
The Kennedy assassination may not be credited with quite such universal change, but it did give way to the Great Society as well as important civil-rights legislation, both of which improved the lives of many Americans.
It may be too early to tell the true impact of the Sept. 11 attacks, but they certainly have changed travel -- not necessarily for the better -- as well as Americans' sense of security.
Like Pearl Harbor, Sept. 11 resulted in a war, actually two wars that are still being fought by Americans on foreign soil. And despite the feeling by many that these conflicts were ill fated and ill timed, there has been a greater appreciation for the sacrifice made by this nation's fighting forces than at any time since World War II.
Unlike veterans of Vietnam, and to a lesser extent the Korean conflict, those who served and are still serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are held in high esteem.
Some have credited this new appreciation for service members to the fact that so many are reservists, people who live and work in communities across this land. Others say the new attitude is partly atonement for the shabby treatment of those who fought in Southeast Asia.
No matter. The important thing is that this nation appreciates and recognizes the sacrifice those in the armed services make on behalf of all of us.
Remembering Pearl Harbor is important, but it is also important to make sure vital health, educational, employment and social services are available for all veterans who need them, regardless of where they served. A grateful nation must do no less.