Eighty-one years ago today, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor.
Most histories record it as a "surprise" attack. That it probably was to most people, though various accounts claim that military intelligence officers, diplomats and, possibly, FDR himself, ignored warning signs. Whatever the truth is, the attack drew the US into World War II.
On that day, about 2400 military service members died. I grew up seeing commemorations, some of which included survivors of the attack, in part because one of my uncles was an American Legion post commander. Until fairly recently, I saw many more observances: Queens County, where I live, had (and, possibly, still has) one of the largest populations of veterans in the US.
During the past few years, I've heard little, if anything, about the attack. There aren't many Pearl Harbor veterans left, and the youngest would be about 98 years old. And, understandably, those who served in later wars don't have quite the same connection to Pearl harbor or World War II.
I understand that it's possible to cycle to Pearl Harbor on a designated bicycle and pedestrian lane. If I ever go to Hawaii (something I have never had any inclination to do), I'm sure I'll check it out. Yelp reviews of the lane are mixed. More precisely, they seem to range according to whether the reviewer is a resident or tourist. And they seem to be cyclical: Sometimes people rave about the ocean views and the fact that it's flat; other times they lament that the path looks and feels as if it subject to the attack 81 years ago--and hasn't been fixed since.
