[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 172 (Wednesday, December 12, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         FROM INFAMY TO A BETTER WORLD, REVISITING PEARL HARBOR

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2001

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in remembrance and observance of 
Pearl Harbor Day, a terrible day in our country's history. On this day, 
60 years ago, the greatest generation was called into action. They 
answered this call, and changed the world forever.
  On the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese fleet 
crossed the Pacific Ocean. They attacked and crippled the US Pacific 
Fleet. The attackers bombed our docked ships, and a nearby military 
airfield. Eight American battleships and 13 other naval vessels were 
sunk or badly damaged, almost 200 American aircraft were destroyed and 
approximately 3,000 naval and military personnel were killed or 
wounded. The attack marked the entrance of the United States into the 
war.
  The Axis Powers marched across Europe toward world domination. The 
tripartite represented one of the darkest and most evil forces the 
world has ever known. Nazi Germany had begun the systematic 
extermination of Jewish men, women and children. The Axis Powers moved 
to conquer, rule, and destroy to gain the world, under a flag of greed 
and hate.
  American forces joined freedom-loving nations already fighting. Our 
soldiers fought valiantly from the shores of Normandy to the Battle of 
Midway. They fought not to show U.S. might, nor to win possessions. The 
American soldiers fought to preserve and protect the right of people to 
live freely.
  In the years following the defeat of the Axis Powers, the world would 
change shape. Borders would open, stimulating a wave of freedom strong 
enough to tear down walls and break barriers. People from different 
corners of the earth would be connected like never before. America 
would build a strong relationship with Japan and its other, and unite 
much of the world to destroy the vice of communism.
  Today, Americans look upon the events of December 7, 1941 in a new 
light. In retrospect, we understand the distant stare that beset our 
father's, mother's, grandfather's, and grandmother's eyes as they told 
stories of where they were, and what they were doing on that day 60 
years ago. It is with new ears that we hear the trembling voices that 
described the terror and uncertainty that jolted the country when an 
enemy attacked us on our ground. It is with gratitude and the utmost 
respect that we remember those who fought, and those who were lost for 
the love of our nation.
  We move forward more vigilant, more aware, and more determined. As we 
pay tribute to those we lost at Pearl Harbor, we stand with a new pride 
in America. Our hopes and prayers go out to those who are deployed, 
even now, to carry the torch in the fight for freedom. At the dawning 
of a new day of uncertainty, we can look to the American values of 
freedom, justice, and equality to lead us to peace and security. We 
remember the bravery of our soldiers that suffered so, to make our 
world better.

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