The following is an edited transcript excerpt from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1936-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
* * *
President Trump just gave the finest one liner in the history of press conferences. 
So here is President Trump, sitting in the Oval Office yesterday with the Japanese prime minister, who seems to adore him. When she arrives at the White House, for example, she runs up and gives him a big hug. He proceeds to show her the Hall of Presidents, on the White House little walkway there by the Rose Garden, and she sees Joe Biden&#8217;s picture is just an auto pen and seems to get a huge kick out of it.
Trump also got along famously with Shinzo Abe. So, there&#8217;s something about Trump and Japan — they get along great. It&#8217;s like white on rice, to use an apt metaphor.
In any case, while they&#8217;re sitting in the Oval Office, a reporter asks President Trump why he did not tell everyone about the attack on Iran before he launched it.
“Japan and U.S. are very good friends. But one question — why didn&#8217;t you tell U.S. allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before taking action? We are very confused.”
Trump responded, “Well, one thing — you don’t want to signal too much. When we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Okay? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Right? He’s asking me, do you believe in surprise? I think much more so than us.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump: &#8220;Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn&#8217;t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/O5t0EWoOkw">pic.twitter.com/O5t0EWoOkw</a>
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2034664767256658127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Just magnificent. I don’t know how to frame a clip, but that’s it. No one will ever beat it.
Jeremy Boreing took me out for dinner last night for my birthday, and we were talking about how Trump is Elvis. Trump is Elvis. Now, Jeremy has criticized Trump many times over the years, but he believes the guy is just amazing at this. He’s Elvis.
So, Trump is sitting there, and he gets the question: Why didn’t you tell people about the attack?
And he starts to give a serious answer by saying: Well, you know, I didn’t want to signal…
And then that showbiz brain kicks in: Hey — who knows more about surprises than you guys?
At that point he could have gotten up, grabbed a stool, lit a cigarette, spotlight on him like he’s in a comedy club in New York: Let me tell you about these guys… we got some of our Japanese friends here, am I right? You guys know a little bit about surprises? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?
Just a great bit.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1936-sub?elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1054531 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1024x171.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-768x128.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1-1536x256.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MK-watch-now-1.jpg 1800w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
I’m going to miss him very, very much after his fourth or fifth term — whatever. I know, at a certain point, after he’s 120 years old, life will take its course. But I’m just sorry we’re already in the second term. We’ve only got, what, two or three terms left?
It’s beautiful.
And it’s not just funny — it’s a serious point. The serious point he’s making is that you don’t telegraph your moves when you’re engaging in war, even when you’re engaging in ordinary politics. And he conveys that serious point with humor, and people take note.
Antonin Scalia used to do this in his Supreme Court opinions and dissents. He would use funny lines like “applesauce,” and “did you ask the nearest hippie?” These are real lines Scalia used. Why did he do it? Because it&#8217;s funny and it grabs your attention. It’s memorable. It sticks in the minds of law students and it&#8217;s going to shape American jurisprudence.
Same thing here.
Very, very funny — and very, very smart.

US-JAPAN-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TAKAICHI-TRUMP

President Trump Drops The Greatest One Liner In Press Conference History

Donald Trump

Iran

Japan

Middle East

Opinion

Pearl Harbor

White House

While taking questions from reporters on Thursday, President Donald Trump blindsided Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with made a joke referencing the 1941 surprise attack initiated by the Empire of Japan on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The question, from one of the reporters in the Oval Office, was about the current joint operation in Iran undertaken by the United States and Israel — specifically, why President Trump had not spoken with allies in Europe or Japan prior to initiating an attack against the Iranian regime.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Q: &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t you tell U.S. allies…about the war before attacking Iran?&#8221;
President Trump: &#8220;We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn&#8217;t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/esV9iyvMiV">pic.twitter.com/esV9iyvMiV</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2034667305318187239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Japan and U.S. are very good friends,&#8221; the reporter began. &#8220;But one question: why didn&#8217;t you tell U.S. Allies in Europe and Asia, like Japan, about the war before attacking Iran? So we are very confused about — we, Japanese citizens —&#8221;
&#8220;Well, one thing, you don&#8217;t want to signal too much,&#8221; Trump replied, arguing that it was unwise to give away too much of the planning before taking military action. &#8220;You know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn&#8217;t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn&#8217;t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Okay? Right?&#8221;
Prime Minister Takaichi appeared to be slightly uncomfortable as several around the room began to laugh.
&#8220;He&#8217;s asking me — no, you believe in surprise I think much more so than us,&#8221; Trump continued, pivoting back to Iran. &#8220;But we had to surprise them and we did. And because of that surprise, we knocked out — the first two days, we probably knocked out 50% of what we — and much more than we anticipated.&#8221;
&#8220;So if I go and tell everybody about it, it&#8217;s no longer a surprise, right?&#8221; the president concluded.

President Trump Hosts Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi At White House

Trump Defends Keeping Allies In The Dark With Unexpected Pearl Harbor Quip

Media

Military

Politics

The following is an excerpt from the book &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/At-First-Light-Bravery-Amazing/dp/1642939595" target="_blank" rel="noopener">At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery, And An Amazing Horse</a>&#8221; by Walt Larimore and Mike Yorkey (Knox Press, April 19, 2022). 
***
On Saturday evening, December 6, 1941, “Phil,” as Marilyn called him and as he now liked to be called, took her out for dinner at the Bungalow, a popular seafood restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi that overlooked the calm, brown waters of the Mississippi Sound. The menu had something for every taste: fresh seafood, choice steaks, Southern fried chicken, Cajun specials, and even Chinese dishes. After enjoying the surf-and-turf special, the young couple decided to go to the cinema. 
Marilyn had wanted to see the romance, Johnny Eager, starring Lana Turner and Robert Taylor. In contrast, Phil had a yearning to watch Tarzan’s Secret Treasure, starring Maureen O’Sullivan alongside his favorite movie star, Johnny Weissmuller, one of the world’s fastest swimmers. They compromised with Ball of Fire, starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck.
The next morning dawned clear with unlimited visibility and an unseasonably warm fifty-nine degrees predicted as the high. Rather than attending church together, which was their habit, Phil and Marilyn decided to play hooky. He picked her up early, and they trailered their horses to the nearby De Soto National Forest, where they rode through the gently rolling terrain. When they located Black Creek, Mississippi’s only National Scenic River, they followed the meandering ribbon of water until they found a wide white sandbar. There they set out a picnic lunch and talked for hours in the warm sunshine about their hopes and dreams—and, for the first time, about the prospects of a life together. 
Late in the afternoon, they returned to the stable and found a group of people gathered around a radio. “Whatcha listening to?” Phil asked. The men shushed him as he and Marilyn leaned closer to listen. 
The announcer blurted, “This is KTU in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am speaking from the roof of the Advertiser Publishing Company Building. We have witnessed this morning the severe bombing of Pearl Harbor by enemy planes, undoubtedly Japanese…. This is no joke. It is a real war… There has been serious fighting going on in the air and on the sea.” 
Phil and Marilyn’s eyes met, and he pulled her close. There was another second or two of static. Then the announcer continued, “We cannot estimate just how much damage has been done, but it has been a very severe attack.” 
The sound of rustling papers came through the small radio as the announcer took a deep breath. “Oh, this is much worse than we’ve heard up to now. The BBC is now reporting, and I quote, ‘At oh seven fifty-five local time, the first wave of between fifty and one-hundred-fifty planes struck the naval base for thirty-five minutes, causing several fires and untold damage to the Pacific Fleet. The Japanese squadrons dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs. A second strike followed at about oh nine hundred when a force of at least one hundred planes pounded the base for an hour,’ end quote.” 
Phil looked at his watch. This meant the attack had started just before 1 p.m. in Gulfport, located in the Central Time Zone. 
The broadcaster continued, “The BBC also says, and I quote, ‘The Times newspaper’s Washington correspondent says the U.S. government expects Germany and Italy to declare war on the U.S. within hours. Although the attack has shocked the American people, there is little doubt that it has been brewing for some years,’ end quote.” 
Marilyn began to cry; Phil pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her. “Oh, Phil,” she muttered, “This can’t be happening, can it?” He could only hold her close as a zillion thoughts raced through his mind. Their shared disbelief mirrored their astonishment.
The announcer paused a moment, and the clacking of a teletype machine could be heard. “This just in. This just in. Japan declares war! Japan declares war!” 
Someone whispered to the man. The pitch of his voice increased as he announced, “This wire is just in from Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan. Here are his words, and I quote, ‘We, the Emperor, hereby proclaim unto our loyal and valorous subjects that we have now declared war upon the United States of America and Great Britain,’ end quote.” 
Phil’s mind swirled. He thought, So, this is it. This is really it. Soon, I’ll be off to war. I’ll be going into battle. He couldn’t have imagined such a confluence of excitement and horror occurring in one moment. Marilyn continued to weep in his arms. 
“I have to get back to GCMA. Now!” he said. 
She nodded. They ran to the car and sped away. 
The next morning, Monday, December 8, the nation awoke to even more bad news: the extent of the damage from the surprise attack on Hawaii. At that point, no one knew that the Japanese attack had killed 2,403 U.S. personnel, including sixty-eight civilians, and destroyed or damaged nineteen U.S. Navy ships, including eight battleships, and destroyed or damaged 328 aircraft. 
Not even the U.S. government was aware that the ship with the most lives lost, the battleship USS Arizona, would report 1,177 dead—meaning that about one half of those who perished at Pearl Harbor were on the Arizona. What everyone did know was that Japan also attacked the Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway on the morning of December 7. The only good news was that the three aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet had been out to sea on maneuvers. 
After a hastily arranged Protestant church service at GCMA, Phil received a call from his father. He had been working on the train running between New Orleans and Memphis. At a stop in Water Valley, Mississippi, Phil Sr. had been given a handwritten note:
Do not permit any Japanese to ride your train. Orders of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Then Phil and his fellow cadets attended a solemn assembly at 11:30 a.m., during which they listened intently to the nationwide radio broadcast of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s address to a joint session of Congress inside the U.S. Capitol. The President started his speech with these memorable words: 
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. 
After recounting details of the aerial assault, the President concluded his speech with this: 
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us. 
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
The roars of approval and tsunami of applause from the members of Congress could be heard over the speakers, and was joined by the young GCMA cadets as they bounded to their feet, throwing their caps toward the ceiling, and hugging and swatting one another on the back. As the cheers faded, though, they became aware that America was about to face an extraordinary test—one that would potentially threaten her very being. The young men at GCMA knew that their training put them in a position to quickly make a difference and play a significant role in the days ahead.
The next five months flew by, and on a beautiful, cloudless, and calm seventy-degree Saturday, May 16, 1942, Phil graduated with honors from GCMA and the Reserve Officers Training Corps, or ROTC.
Before Pearl Harbor, he had planned to begin pre-med studies that fall, but with America in the midst of a global conflict against the Axis powers, he realized that he would not be studying medicine anytime soon. 
Philip Larimore Jr. understood that he was destined for war.

From Picnic To Peril: How A Young Couple’s World Was Shattered By Japan’s Attack On Pearl Harbor

Books

History

U.S.

World War II

U.S. Navy veteran Harry Chandler, a medic who helped rescue injured service-members from the water during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pearl-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pearl Harbor</a> attack in 1941, died earlier this week at the age of 103. There are just 15 survivors of that devastating attack who now remain living.
Chandler, according to his grandson-in-law Ron Mahaffee, passed away in Florida at a senior living center, The Associated Press reported. It was also noted that while he had suffered from congestive heart failure, the cause of death was primarily attributed to his age.
&#8220;Pearl Harbor survivor Harry Chandler who passed away on Monday at the age of 103. Chandler was serving as a hospital corpsman 3rd class when the Japanese attacked on 7 Dec 1941. He boarded a boat and helped pull oil-covered sailors from the water,&#8221; the U.S. Naval Institute shared photos of Chandler on Wednesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP</a> Pearl Harbor survivor Harry Chandler who passed away on Monday at the age of 103. Chandler was serving as a hospital corpsman 3rd class when the Japanese attacked on 7 Dec 1941. He boarded a boat and helped pull oil-covered sailors from the water. <a href="https://t.co/E97TtC3D4o">pic.twitter.com/E97TtC3D4o</a>
&mdash; U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) <a href="https://twitter.com/NavalInstitute/status/1874626263492760063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Chandler was interviewed about his experience when he returned to the Hawaiian naval base in 2023 for the 82nd anniversary of the attack, and he said that even eight decades later, the events of that terrible morning were still fresh in his mind.
&#8220;I look out there, and I can still see what’s going on. I can still see what was happening,&#8221; he told The AP.
The Sunday morning of the attack, Chandler told the outlet that he was raising the flag over an Aiea Heights mobile hospital near the base when he saw the planes coming in.
&#8220;I thought they were planes coming in from the states until I saw the bombs dropping,&#8221; Chandler explained, adding, &#8220;I was afraid that they’d start strafing.&#8221;
Ignoring his first instinct, which he said was to &#8220;get the hell out of here,&#8221; he first boarded a truck down to the base and then a boat out to the burning and damaged destroyers and carriers in the water. Once there, he assisted other medics in pulling injured sailors from the harbor, many of them coated in oil.
&#8220;It got so busy you weren’t scared. Weren’t scared at all. We were busy. It was after you got scared,&#8221; he explained, saying that there wasn&#8217;t really time to think about the fact that he could have been killed while there were lives to save. &#8220;But you didn’t think about that while you were busy taking care of people.&#8221;
According to Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, only 15 survivors remain following Chandler&#8217;s passing.

74th Commemoration Of Attacks At Pearl Harbor Held In Hawaii

Pearl Harbor Survivor Has Died At 103, Only 15 Remain

U.S. Navy

The day that then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared would &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pearl-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">live in infamy</a>&#8221; has been reduced, for many in America&#8217;s younger generations, to a vaguely familiar phrase they had to recall for an American History exam.
But it&#8217;s important for all of us to remember that day — that moment — that pushed a largely non-committal United States into global conflict, especially as conflicts arise in the present day that threaten to become global.
The Empire of Japan&#8217;s surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, lasted just over an hour and marked the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Pacific. It was that attack — along with the threat of alliance between Japan and Nazi Germany — that led Roosevelt to also call for the United States&#8217; official entry into the war already raging in Europe as well.
Several <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/attack-on-pearl-harbor-timeline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">key events</a> foreshadowed the attack in the early morning hours:
<ul>
<li>6:10 a.m. &#8212; The USS Condor, a minesweeper, spots a periscope.</li>
<li>6:45 a.m. &#8212; The USS Ward fires on a Japanese submarine, marking the first shot fired by American forces in World War II.</li>
<li>6:53 a.m. &#8212; Ward radios Navy HQ, but decoding processes slow down its reception.</li>
<li>7:02 a.m. &#8212; Radar station on Oahu spots an unidentified aircraft, but reports are ignored because a B-17 from California was expected to arrive.</li>
</ul>
By 7:40, the first wave of Japanese attack planes were flying over Hawaii — and the coordinated attack began within 15 minutes. By 8:10, the USS Arizona had exploded. The USS Helm, a Destroyer, sank a Japanese submarine at the harbor&#8217;s entrance seven minutes later. At 8:54 a.m., 59 minutes after the first wave began, a second wave of Japanese planes arrived and opened fire. At 9:30 a.m., the USS Shaw exploded in dry dock. By 10:00 a.m., the Japanese attack planes had returned to their carriers.
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All told, Japan launched the December 7 attack with 353 planes and lost just 29 that day. However, of all the ships involved in the Pearl Harbor attack, only one would still be afloat by the end of the war.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
⏳The legacy of the Sailors, Marines &amp; civilians lost on Dec. 7, 1941 is not confined to physical artifacts, memorials or ships. Their sacrifice is the greatest example of our <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNavy</a> values: honor, courage &amp; commitment, which is alive and thriving in each of us.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor83?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor83</a> <a href="https://t.co/6BrSs88e8V">pic.twitter.com/6BrSs88e8V</a>
— Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard &amp; IMF (@PHNSYIMF) <a href="https://twitter.com/PHNSYIMF/status/1863760204397252935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2024</a></blockquote>
One day later, on December 8, 1941, Roosevelt delivered a joint address to the House and Senate, eventually leading to a declaration of war.
<a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/joint-address-to-congress-declaration-of-war-against-japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Roosevelt said, in part</a>:
<blockquote>Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
&#8230;
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph &#8211; so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.</blockquote>
The surprise attack killed 2,403 American service members and injured more than 1,100.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Tomorrow, we mark 83 years for “a day which will live in infamy.” Take time today to honor the brave men &amp; women who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor, as well as all who answered the call to service in WW2! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBPNYNWK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CBPNYNWK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarborDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarborDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/ORNj4cVXAN">pic.twitter.com/ORNj4cVXAN</a>
— Acting Port Director Jeffrey Greene (@CBPPortDirNYNJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBPPortDirNYNJ/status/1864997012896165936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2024</a></blockquote>

Fire Aboard

Remembering Pearl Harbor, 83 Years Later

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)

In 2022, on the one-year anniversary of the January 6 Capitol riot, Vice President Kamala Harris compared the day to mass casualty events 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.
Harris spoke at the Capitol on January 6, 2022, leading a day of Democrats treating the riot — which resulted in the death of protester Ashli Babbit at the hands of Capitol police — as something akin to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
“Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them, where they were and what they were doing when our democracy came under assault,” Harris said at the time. &#8220;Dates that occupy not only a place on our calendars but a place in our collective memory. December 7, 1941. September 11, 2001, and January 6, 2021.&#8221;
One police officer died the day after January 6 due to two strokes, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/officer-who-responded-us-capitol-attack-is-third-die-by-suicide-2021-08-02/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four more committed suicide</a> in the months that followed.
It is unclear just how many first responders and others have died in the decades since 9/11 due to cancer and other related illnesses.
A total of 2,403 people were killed in the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.
Harris also in that speech called for legislation to allegedly protect democracy, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-compares-january-6-riot-to-pearl-harbor-9-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“On Jan. 6, we all saw what our nation would look like if the forces who seek to dismantle our democracy are successful. The lawlessness. The violence. The chaos,” Harris said in 2022. “What was at stake then, and now, is the right to have our future decided the way the Constitution prescribes it: By we, the people.”
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“The violent assault that took place here, the very fact of how close we came to an election overturned, that reflects the fragility of democracy,” she added.
At the time of Harris’ speech, report and investigator Jerry Dunleavy called the vice president’s comparison “<a href="https://x.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1479095444907204609">ridiculous</a>.”
“Ridiculous comparisons… The Capitol riot was bad, political violence is wrong, &amp; people are being prosecuted for it,” Dunleavy tweeted. “It wasn’t comparable to Pearl Harbor (2,403 sailors, soldiers, &amp; civilians killed by the Japanese Empire) nor comparable to 9/11 (2,977 Americans &amp; others killed by Al-Qaeda). Obviously.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Capitol riot was bad, political violence is wrong, &amp; people are being prosecuted for it. It wasn’t comparable to Pearl Harbor (2,403 sailors, soldiers, &amp; civilians killed by the Japanese Empire) nor comparable to 9/11 (2,977 Americans &amp; others killed by Al-Qaeda). Obviously.
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1479097345245593602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Podcast host and actor Joe Rogan also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/insane-joe-rogan-rips-kamala-harris-comparing-jan-6-to-9-11-pearl-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Harris for her “insane” comparison.
“This is complete insanity. Look, Jan 6 was embarrassing; it was pathetic; it was confusing to me,” Rogan said in 2022. “‘Cause there are parts of it that confused me—the parts where you have these clear agent provocateurs in the audience calling for people to go into the Capitol. … There’s video of cops opening up barriers. What is that? Why did they do that? Has there ever been an explanation of that?”

Kamala Harris

REMINDER: Kamala Put January 6 On Same Level As 9/11, Pearl Harbor

REMINDER: Kamala Harris Put January 6 On Same Level As 9/11, Pearl Harbor

2024 Election

9/11

Capitol Riot

Elections

It was a quiet Sunday morning when the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Japanese</a> attack planes — known as &#8220;Zeros&#8221; because their wings were marked with the same solitary red circle that appears on the Japanese flag — appeared over the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor.
The attack targeted the battleships that were in the harbor — but missed the opportunity to take out any of the three aircraft carriers assigned to Pearl, as they were out in the Pacific on maneuvers at the time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The ships on Battleship Row. Every ship except the USS Arizona and the USS Oklahoma returned to service to fight again. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/JmOT0gYofU">pic.twitter.com/JmOT0gYofU</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732833684573855799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Japanese fighters also targeted nearby Wheeler Field, strafing the planes that were parked wing to wing and taking out 188 U.S. military aircraft and damaging another 159 planes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Wheeler Field has received multiple bomb hits and aircraft parked wing tip to wing tip are set ablaze by strafing Japanese aircraft. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/yhUMnxbbjO">pic.twitter.com/yhUMnxbbjO</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732837935429591426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Within minutes, the surprise attack was over — and the planes disappeared as quickly as they had come — but the air over Pearl Harbor was thick with smoke that billowed from crippled and sinking ships. All told, 19 U.S. Navy ships — 8 of them battleships — were damaged, disabled, or completely destroyed. The wreckage of the crippled USS Arizona burned for two days.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Perhaps the most iconic photo showing the destruction of USS Arizona is further brought to life when just a little bit of color is added. One can only imagine the devastating horror aboard her as she burned for two days. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RememberUSSArizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RememberUSSArizona</a> <a href="https://t.co/5IT3ghkup5">pic.twitter.com/5IT3ghkup5</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732840100072202672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In less than one hour, 2,403 U.S. military personnel had been killed, along with 68 civilians. Among the dead, 2,008 were Navy personnel, 218 were Army personnel, and 109 were U.S. Marines. Another 1,143 military personnel — and 35 civilians — were wounded in the attack as well.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The staggering losses on December 7th 1941.
US Navy 2,008 killed 710 wounded US Army 218 killed 364 wounded US Marines 109 killed 69 wounded Civilians 68 killed 35 wounded
Aboard USS Arizona 1,177 alone were killed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarborRemembranceDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarborRemembranceDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PearlHarbor82?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PearlHarbor82</a> <a href="https://t.co/TOWajOK7zG">pic.twitter.com/TOWajOK7zG</a>
&mdash; USS Arizona (@USSArizona) <a href="https://twitter.com/USSArizona/status/1732840603933941957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Within 24 hours, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-president-franklin-d-roosevelt-responds-to-the-attack-on-pearl-harbor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called on Congress</a> to declare war on the Empire of Japan. Congress obliged, with almost a unanimous vote, on December 8, 1941. Three days later, the United States was also at war with Nazi Germany.
Eighty-two years after Pearl Harbor, Americans still remember the day that, as Roosevelt said, would forever &#8220;live in infamy.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, we pause to remember &#8216;a day that will live in infamy&#8217; following a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Join us in saluting the bravery demonstrated 82 years ago today that has continued to inspire future generations,&#8221; the U.S. Army&#8217;s official X account shared a video.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today, we pause to remember &quot;a day that will live in infamy&quot; following a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Join us in saluting the bravery demonstrated 82 years ago today that has continued to inspire future generations. <a href="https://t.co/WUlgDkjSlx">pic.twitter.com/WUlgDkjSlx</a>
&mdash; U.S. Army (@USArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy/status/1732764252660736052?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;On the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we remember all those who died on that day of infamy—and honor the courage and sacrifice of all those who have answered the call to serve in the days since,&#8221; Vice President Kamala Harris posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On the 82nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we remember all those who died on that day of infamy—and honor the courage and sacrifice of all those who have answered the call to serve in the days since. <a href="https://t.co/nrcfIIsCzM">pic.twitter.com/nrcfIIsCzM</a>
&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1732800622645153882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1941. We will never forget the 2,403 service members &amp; civilians who perished that day or America&#8217;s Greatest Generation who rose in response. Today, and every day, we remember,&#8221; the Gary Sinise Foundation posted a tribute as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1941. We will never forget the 2,403 service members &amp; civilians who perished that day or America&#39;s Greatest Generation who rose in response. Today, and every day, we remember. <a href="https://t.co/XOIISsTUl0">pic.twitter.com/XOIISsTUl0</a>
&mdash; GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFound) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarySiniseFound/status/1732762004291547404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Scenes From The Attack On Pearl Harbor

‘A Date That Will Live In Infamy’: America Remembers Pearl Harbor 82 Years Later

'A Date That Will Live In Infamy': America Remembers Pearl Harbor 82 Years Later

U.S. Military

On December 7, 1941 — while much of Europe was already embroiled in war — the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy&#8217;s base at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-date-that-will-live-in-infamy-remembering-pearl-harbor-80-years-later" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pearl Harbor</a>, Hawaii.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt <a href="https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/winter/crafting-day-of-infamy-speech.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received word</a> of the attack as he finished lunch that Sunday, and had planned to spend part of the afternoon with his stamp album. (An avid philatelist, FDR&#8217;s stamp collection was once valued at auction to be worth a respectable $80,000.)
Within hours of the attack, however, Roosevelt had begun making plans to respond to the tragedy and to call for a declaration of war — against both Japan and Nazi Germany. A speech that significant would normally have been drafted over a period of 3-10 days, but once the preparations began, FDR had already announced that he planned to speak to Congress the following day.
Since two of the president&#8217;s usual speechwriters — Samuel I. Rosenman and Robert Sherwood — were unavailable, Roosevelt wrote most of his December 8th speech alone. Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles submitted a slightly longer speech that touched on events leading up to the December 7th attack, but Roosevelt threw it out and kept his own words.
Biographer Nathan Miller described the scene as Roosevelt dictated the speech — now one of the most famous speeches in American history — to his secretary, Grace Tully.
&#8220;He inhaled deeply on his cigarette, blew out the smoke, and began dictating in the same calm tone he used to deal with his mail,&#8221; Miller wrote. &#8220;He enunciated the words incisively and slowly, carefully specifying each punctuation mark and new paragraph. Running little more than five hundred words, the message was dictated without hesitation or second thoughts.&#8221;
Roosevelt did make a few edits after dictating his first draft — including one change that would go down in history. The iconic first line, calling December 7th &#8220;a date which will live in infamy,&#8221; originally read as follows: &#8220;Yesterday, December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in world history, the United States was simultaneously and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.&#8221;
FDR stood before the House of Representatives at 12:30 p.m. the next day — approximately 24 hours after he had learned of the attack — and delivered his message.
WATCH:
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Roosevelt&#8217;s <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/afc1986022.afc1986022_ms2201/?st=text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> began with his response to the attack:
<blockquote>Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives:
YESTERDAY, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.</blockquote>
What followed was a pivot from his assessment of the attack to a request for Congress to move forward with an official declaration of war.
<blockquote>Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong: Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.
As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces with the unbounding determination of our people we will gain the inevitable triumph so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.</blockquote>
Congress obliged, passing an official <a href="https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/artifact/sj-res-116-declaration-war-japan-december-8-1941#:~:text=On%20December%208%2C%201941%2C%20Congress,388–1%20in%20the%20House." target="_blank" rel="noopener">declaration of war</a> against Japan — S.J. Resolution 116 — that very day. The measure passed in the Senate, 82-0, and in the House, 388-1. Three days later, allied with Japan, Nazi Germany also declared war on the United States. Congress responded with <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/images/documents/sjres119-wwii-germany.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S.J. Resolution 119</a> just hours later on December 11th. That vote passed the Senate, 88-0, and in the House, 393-0.

Smoke Pours From Battleships At Pearl Harbor

WATCH: President Franklin D. Roosevelt Responds To The Attack On Pearl Harbor

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Responds To The Attack On Pearl Harbor

Readers Pass

WWII

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) ripped critics of Israel&#8217;s war against Hamas for suggesting that Israel should be stopped from wiping out the terrorist group because of collateral damage.
Graham&#8217;s remarks on Sunday to CNN host Dana Bash on &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; come after Hamas murdered 1,200 Israelis in an unprecedented terrorist attack in October.
Graham then called out Vice President Kamalas Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for remarks that they have made criticizing the way Israel is executing their campaign against Hamas while providing no alternative solution for Israel.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t want any innocent Palestinian to die, but how do you do this?&#8221; Graham asked. &#8220;Vice President Harris, tell Israel how to destroy Hamas in a way not to hurt innocent Palestinians, and I will pass it along. I don&#8217;t know how to do this, because Hamas is integrated into the apartments, the schools, and the hospitals. They have tunnels all over the place. The reason so many Palestinians are dying is because Hamas wants them to die. So if you have got ideas about lessening civilian casualties, let me know. I will tell Israel, or you tell them directly.&#8221;
&#8220;But the idea of Hamas still standing when this is over would be the ultimate strategic failure,&#8221; he added.
When asked if he thought that too many Palestinian civilians had been killed, Graham noted that in World War II, many civilians were killed as the allies fought against the Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
&#8220;Well, tell us how to do it differently,&#8221; Graham said. &#8220;Yes, what is too many people dying in World War II after Pearl Harbor? Did the American public worry about how many people were dying to destroy Tokyo and Berlin?&#8221;
&#8220;I know this is not the same, but it&#8217;s similar. I mean, after October the 7th, Israel is at total war with Hamas. What they did, you won&#8217;t even show on television, probably because you can&#8217;t,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;So, the bottom line here is, no Republican believes this, by the way. No Republican is telling Israel to change your military tactics, because I don&#8217;t know how to change them.&#8221;
&#8220;I think the goal of destroying Hamas is important for Israel, really important for the Palestinians,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And Hamas is making it impossible for Israel to fight without hurting innocent people.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Senator Graham calls Defense Secretary Austin &#039;naive&#039; after civilian comment" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AUySAWtAmZM?start=99&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Sen. Lindsey Graham

Graham Rips Critics Of Israel’s War On Hamas: ‘What Is Too Many People Dying In WWII After Pearl Harbor?’

Hamas

Israel

Lindsey Graham

The White House appeared to blow off criticisms after President Joe Biden became the first sitting U.S. President to not make an appearance at any of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-plans-to-commemorate-9-11-with-stop-in-alaska" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official memorial sites</a> on September 11: Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania — the place where passengers brought down hijacked United Flight 93.
President Biden, who was on his return trip from Vietnam, opted instead to stop in Alaska to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks ever executed on American soil. Vice President Kamala Harris made the trip to Ground Zero in his place.
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy said that he asked why the president had chosen not to be present at one of the major memorials himself — and the administration had responded with an analogy.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/pdoocy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pdoocy</a> asked the White House why POTUS is not in NYC on 9/11.
DOOCY: &quot;The analogy that I was given is that 22 years after Pearl Harbor, U.S. Presidents were not still going to visit Hawaii.&quot;
Wow&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/KcfD7lf3sz">pic.twitter.com/KcfD7lf3sz</a>
&mdash; Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1701258679654220206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Our focus the last couple of days has been President Biden, here in South Asia,&#8221; Doocy explained. &#8220;And when I asked a White House official why it is that President Biden was here and missed the 9/11 commemorations at the attack sites, the analogy that I was given is that 22 years after Pearl Harbor, U.S. Presidents were not still going to visit Hawaii.&#8221;
But presidents have continued to visit Pearl Harbor on December 7, although not every year. The late President George H.W. Bush, who served in the Pacific Theater himself, was on hand for the 50th anniversary of the surprise attack in 1991.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Someone tell <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> comms that Bush 41 was onsite on the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor <a href="https://t.co/3PbE4W9VV1">https://t.co/3PbE4W9VV1</a> <a href="https://t.co/oXz0N5Rf3l">pic.twitter.com/oXz0N5Rf3l</a>
&mdash; Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BonillaJL/status/1701324273288204640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;FFS, GHWB was at Pearl Harbor for the 50th anniversary in 1991. FDR was at Gettysburg for the 75th anniversary in 1938. These places don&#8217;t stop being important,&#8221; Judianna posted via X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FFS, GHWB was at Pearl Harbor for the 50th anniversary in 1991. 
FDR was at Gettysburg for the 75th anniversary in 1938. 
These places don&#39;t stop being important. <a href="https://t.co/XghPsB4IfJ">https://t.co/XghPsB4IfJ</a>
&mdash; Judianna (@Judianna) <a href="https://twitter.com/Judianna/status/1701328518926528868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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To make matters worse for the White House, several pointed out the fact that the 22nd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack — December 7, 1963 — fell just weeks after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. JFK, a U.S. Navy veteran, had visited the memorial six months earlier in June of that year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Uh, presidents WERE still visiting Hawaii 22 years after Pearl Harbor. Here is JFK doing just that: <a href="https://t.co/01QlQNKgkz">https://t.co/01QlQNKgkz</a> h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/thekytikat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thekytikat</a> <a href="https://t.co/LzXOHPRkXw">https://t.co/LzXOHPRkXw</a>
&mdash; Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) <a href="https://twitter.com/DLoesch/status/1701321051169226824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

TOPSHOT-VIETNAM-US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY

WH Blows Off Critics After Biden Skips 9/11 Memorials: Presidents Weren’t Going To Pearl Harbor After 22 Years

WH Blows Off Critics After Biden Skips 9/11 Memorials: Presidents Weren't Going To Pearl Harbor After 22 Years

American History

Joe Biden

John F. Kennedy (JFK)

Hundreds of Americans swarmed the funeral of Herman Schmidt, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/veterans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">member</a> of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-navy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Navy</a> who was killed during the attack on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/world-war-ii" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pearl Harbor</a> but whose remains were only recently identified, after some were concerned no one would appear to honor the deceased sailor.
Schmidt, who hailed from Sheridan, Wyoming, was killed at the age of 28 during the surprise Japanese assault on American forces in Hawaii. He served as a gunner on the USS Oklahoma, which sustained multiple torpedo hits and barrages from enemy aircraft that resulted in the deaths of 428 other crewmen. President Franklin D. Roosevelt subsequently called the Pearl Harbor attack a “date which will live in infamy” and asked Congress to declare war on Japan, officially entering the United States into World War II.
Navy officials recovered the remains from the deceased crew members between December 1941 and June 1944; they were initially able to identify only 35 men from the USS Oklahoma, but advances in DNA technology recently allowed officials to identify Schmidt’s remains, according to a <a href="https://www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/2725504/uss-oklahoma-sailor-accounted-for-from-world-war-ii-schmidt-h/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> from the Defense POW/MIA Agency.
Schmidt had left behind a wife and an infant son, Michael Schmidt, as he departed to serve his country in Hawaii. Now 82 years old and in poor health, Michael Schmidt indicated that he was unable to attend the February 23 funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., as the father he never knew would be buried with full military honors.
“I have mixed emotions,” Michael Schmidt said during an <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/feb/21/we-never-forget-navy-bury-sailor-killed-pearl-harb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with The Washington Times. “I thought it was fantastic that they did it.”
Andrea McCarren, a former journalist for WUSA-TV and the chief communications officer of PenFed Credit Union, shared on social media that there was concern no one would attend Herman Schmidt’s funeral. She announced on Thursday afternoon, however, that more than 500 strangers arrived at Arlington to pay their respects for the World War II hero. Schmidt was also <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorGordon/status/1628776549637066754" target="_blank" rel="noopener">honored</a> in his home state as Gov. Mark Gordon (R-WY) ordered flags to be flown at half staff on Thursday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
ANYTHING is possible when people work together. More than 500 strangers attended funeral of WWII hero Herman Schmidt, whose only survivor is in poor health. There was fear that no one would show up. Schmidt left behind a wife &amp; newborn baby. His remains were recently identified. <a href="https://t.co/wMFeNgDplx">pic.twitter.com/wMFeNgDplx</a>
&mdash; Andrea McCarren (@AndreaMcCarren) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreaMcCarren/status/1628865167252418560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Defense Department <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/POW-MIA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimates</a> that the remains of more than 80,000 service personnel are missing from previous conflicts and that 38,000 are estimated to be recoverable. When officials from North Korea turned over 55 cases containing the remains of American service members killed during the Korean War in 2018, for instance, the cases were transported to a DNA analysis facility in Hawaii.
Some 99% of soldiers from the Korean War and earlier conflicts, however, do not have DNA on file, according to a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/27/health/american-troops-remains-identification-process/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from CNN. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, therefore, <a href="https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2018/7/vfw-urges-mia-families-to-provide-dna-samples" target="_blank" rel="noopener">urged</a> families of Korean War veterans to submit DNA samples to the Defense Department.
The successful identification of missing service members’ remains can often serve as solace for family members. “From Belleau Wood to the Battle of the Bulge, Korea to Vietnam, Afghanistan to Iraq, and around the world, American patriots have dared all, risked all, and given all to defend our Nation and protect our liberties,” President Joe Biden remarked in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/15/a-proclamation-on-national-pow-mia-recognition-day/#:~:text=Now%20and%20always%2C%20we%20honor,members%20still%20missing%20in%20action." target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> ahead of the most recent National POW/MIA Recognition Day on September 16. “Now and always, we honor their service, valor, and sacrifice. We also continue the righteous work of bringing home our heroes who remain unaccounted for.”

Arlington National Cemetery

Hundreds Swarm World War II Navy Gunner’s Funeral After Some Worry No One Would Attend

Hundreds Swarm Veteran's Funeral After Some Worry No One Would Attend

Veterans

In the mind’s eye, one can imagine a peaceful Sunday morning in Hawaii eighty-one years ago. Warm Pacific trade winds drift across the harbor, passing through the row of warships anchored bow-to-stern. Some crews laze in hammocks below decks while others sleepily emerge topside to perform mundane shipboard tasks.
It is the beginning of another day in the life of sailors who count themselves fortunate to be stationed with the U.S. Pacific Fleet currently at anchor in idyllic Pearl Harbor.
Just before 8:00 a.m., however, the tranquility is broken by the humming drone of radial engines echoing off the escarpments that corral the naval installation. Unsuspecting seamen cast their gazes skyward, trying to make sense of an inexplicable cloud of aircraft bearing down on them. Some fly high and level. Others descend to skim just 50 feet above the water.
As the men stand on the decks and scratch their heads wondering what planes with Japanese rising sun markings are doing here, the first torpedoes splash into the shallow water and propel towards the exposed ships. Then bombs start dropping.
Through the next hour and a half all eight battleships, the pride of the U.S. Navy, are enveloped in fireballs and waterspouts while sailors, many bleeding, broken, and burned, leap into the flaming water.
Meanwhile, farther inland, more Japanese bombers annihilate some 300 American warplanes parked wingtip-to-wingtip on the tarmacs of Hickam and Wheeler fields.
What began as just another dawn in paradise is transformed by two waves of 353 enemy planes into a hellscape. Fires rage and pillars of oily black smoke climb high into the otherwise clear sky. And with each of the 20 vessels hit and set ablaze, sunk, capsized, or run aground, and 2,335 U.S. military personnel and 68 civilians killed, the rest of the 20th Century and beyond is forever changed.
It is difficult for us to comprehend today, a full eight decades later, how truly galvanic the attack on Pearl Harbor was to a United States that just the day before had been fairly divided about the country’s role in the world. Especially considering that beyond our two shores, over each horizon, wars of conquest and annihilation were raging on three continents.
Japan’s rampage of gore had swept through China, capturing the capital of Nanking, murdering over 200,000 innocents. 
In Europe, Hitler’s victorious Wehrmacht lorded over a Third Reich stretching from the English Channel to North Africa to the gates of Moscow. 
Still embittered over the 116,000 young lives lost during America’s last foray into what was then the Great War of 1914-1918, many Americans wanted no part in this new conflagration. Pearl Harbor changed that. By the time President Roosevelt stood before Congress on December 8 to call for a declaration of war against Japan for its “dastardly” attack, the U.S. was united with a singular purpose: To avenge Pearl Harbor and wipe out the Japanese Empire.
Still, not every democratic world leader was so enraged as FDR. 
In London, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was elated. The greatest power of the world, the United States, was now an overt ally. Churchill later recalled that upon hearing the news “I went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved.” The Briton intuitively understood that with American industrial might and military potential now fully committed, the war was won.
Four days later, the dual thugs Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the United States, the former above the protests of his generals. 
German military men weren’t the only ones to recognize the true implications of what war with America really meant. Ironically, the man who masterminded the operation, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, was feeling as much a sense of foreboding as Churchill was salvation. Having lived in the States for several years, he, too, was well aware of America’s capacity for mass-production. Leading up to the attack, he <a href="https://www.britannica.com/story/pearl-harbor-in-context#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20first%20six%20to,quote%20commonly%20attributed%20to%20Yamamoto.)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grimly ascertained his country’s prospects</a> should they be drawn into a protracted war against the United States. “For the first six to twelve months … I will run wild, winning victory after victory. After that time, I have little hope of success.”
Indeed, the U.S. response in the months after Pearl Harbor demonstrated that resilience and adaptability are among our nation’s greatest strengths. 
Consider: of the eight battleships attacked, only three were total losses; Oklahoma and Utah capsized and Arizona exploded. But the others including the sunk California and West Virginia as well as the intentionally beached Nevada, were raised, repaired, and eventually sent back into action. 
Yes, bitter defeats for the Allies at Wake Island, the Philippines, and Singapore lay ahead in early 1942. But almost exactly six months to the day of the attack, Yamamoto’s dire prediction came true at Midway. In one day, American aviators — flying off carriers that luckily had been at sea on December 7 — sent four of Japan’s fleet carriers, along with thousands of trained crews, to the bottom. The rest, as they say, is history.
Speaking of history, particularly history classes, one must wonder how many young Americans today even know what happened on the morning of December 7, 1941. And if they do know, why does it matter on December 7, 2022? The broader answer is that they are part of this nation. They are members of a continuum that is the story of us. A story that begins well before the first shots at Lexington &amp; Concord, through Antietam and Gettysburg, and into the great battles of the last century. By remembering days like December 7th we remember who we are, where we come from, and, as with all such significant historical events, where it can lead us if we are not careful.
In my lifetime, the closest event to Pearl Harbor in shock and scope was 9/11. I can remember the emotions of that day … a bloodlust desire to kill anyone and everyone responsible for this brazen atrocity. For my generation, our version of FDR standing before Congress declaring a “date which will live in infamy” was George W. Bush perched atop the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center, bullhorn in hand, promising that those responsible “will hear all of us soon.”
In retrospect, the stories of Pearl Harbor and 9/11 are deeper than one of sneak attacks on an unsuspecting U.S., and punishing the perpetrators. In many ways, they represent bookend moments. In between them we saw America roused like a “sleeping giant,” as Yamamoto called us, to meet the challenges of the shrinking world. We went on to dominate the globe, economically, militarily, and culturally. 
But then the U.S. influence began to recede as the new millennium dawned … a decline symbolized by the destruction of its biggest city’s most prominent edifices at the hands of an enemy with no capital, no borders, no central state upon which to set our vengeful sites. Within those brackets, the U.S. went from 50% to 20% of the world’s GDP, and a series of unnecessary and ill-conceived wars from Asia to the Middle East have sapped our strength. 
The 20th Century has been labeled “The American Century.” If so, then this period of dominance began at Pearl Harbor and came to an end in lower Manhattan.
As with 9/11, Pearl Harbor was a bolt from the blue. And yet, there were warning signs … there always are when you connect the dots backwards in such matters. The main warning should have been visible to those stepping back to see the big picture. 
Why did Japan attack? 
They did not attack in a vacuum or on a whim. The U.S. had imposed a crippling oil embargo in response to Japan’s aggression in China. This effectively cut the island nation off from 80% of its oil imports. As such, Yamamoto’s attack was a desperate gamble to take out the U.S. Pacific fleet and free Japan to wage wars of conquest into the oil and resource-rich European colonies of Southeast Asia unimpeded.
There is a relevant lesson to be learned here. When you flagrantly push totalitarian nations up against a wall, they might conclude they have little choice but to lash out and raise the stakes — even go to war — to protect their interests, which in the 20th and 21st Centuries means securing energy. Fossil fuels remain the lifeblood of nations. 
Aggressively impede a country’s ability to deal in these most valuable commodities and you risk waking up one morning into a changed world — and not for the better. 
The U.S. played a dangerous game with Japan, and paid for it at Pearl Harbor. We are playing just such a game today, goading a perhaps unstable Vladimir Putin through embargoes on his primary product, oil and natural gas, starving him not of energy, as in Japan’s case, but rather hard currency. But the response might be the same. 
The difference is that in December 1941 the atomic bomb was still years in the future. Today there are over 13,000 nukes dotting the globe, many in Russia, with whom we are engaged in a proxy war, blithely tossing matches at a gas can, over a far off country most Americans couldn’t have found on a map a year ago.
No matter. In 1941, most Americans couldn’t have found Pearl Harbor on a map either. Not so after the Japanese strike force winged away back to their carriers, leaving a burning U.S. Pacific Fleet and crippled air force behind it.
As the cliché goes, history doesn’t always repeat, but it sure can rhyme. And if it’s any guide, there is another Pearl Harbor waiting for us out there. One we cannot imagine in detail, but we just know is lurking somewhere in the murk of the remaining decades of the 21st Century. 
It would, therefore, behoove us to remember Pearl Harbor always. Not just because it tells us the story of who we were and are, but also what may lie ahead in a very dangerous world.
In the meantime, as another December 7 comes and goes, it reminds us that time moves inexorably forward.
In 2019, the last chapter Pearl Harbor Survivors Association officially disbanded. Sadly, as the last of our World War II veterans pass away, the lessons they learned die with them. Therefore, it is up to us to guard against falling into what historians call a collective amnesia of comfortable societies. 
If the Japanese surprise attack teaches us anything, it is that peace is often an illusion. If you need clarification, go to the Arizona Memorial. Eighty-one years later, the ghosts still call up to us from their watery grave: Cave Inopinatum.
Brad Schaeffer is a commodities trader, columnist, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Books-Brad-Schaeffer/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrad+Schaeffer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">author of the best-selling novel</a> “The Extraordinary,” which deals with autism and PTSD and the critically acclaimed World War II novel, “Of Another Time And Place.”
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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