WILL THAULT: 7 come 11

Dec. 7 of this past week marked the 80th Anniversary of the Japanese “sneak” attack on Pearl Harbor. “A date which will live in infamy,” said President Roosevelt in a historical address the following day in 1941 before a joint session of Congress.

Although still reeling from the shocking headlines and radio bulletins over the last 24 hours, Congress and the American people knew what was coming. After describing the horrible price paid in loss of life, as well as naval vessels and warplanes at Pearl, Roosevelt shared news from the night before of multiple surprise attacks on islands across the Pacific as well. Then, acknowledging the only response possible to these deliberate acts, FDR asked Congress to declare that “a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

It’s been said that soon after the Pearl Harbor attack, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the invasion, cautioned his staff by saying, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Whether truly spoken or not, it’s been said when the legend becomes fact, print the legend, because that’s exactly what happened. Japan had provoked an act of war upon us, setting off a chain reaction a few days later in which the Empire’s Axis partners, Germany and Italy, declared war on America, thereby drawing us into the Second World War. And as prophesized, America reacted with fearful resolve, ultimately sending more than 10 million troops into a war that ended in unconditional victory.

The surprise attack was devastating, taking the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. Servicemen, including dozens of civilians.

While we are always to remember those who died at Pearl Harbor, we should be reminded of those men who bravely stepped forward in the face of fire as well. Let’s join pearlharbor.org in pausing to pay tribute to a few of them:

“Lieutenant commander (Samuel Fuqua) was having breakfast aboard the USS Arizona when the sirens went off at 7:55 a.m. He was knocked out by enemy fire, but when he regained consciousness, he immediately jumped back into action. Through his courageous actions, men were evacuated to safety. Fuqua was actually one of the last men on the ship before it sank. He later earned the Medal of Honor.

“Cook and laundry attendant on the USS West Virginia, (Doris) Miller was one of the first to his battle station when the attack began, but it was destroyed when he arrived. Instead, he used his impressive strength to carry injured men to safety. He eventually got behind one of two .50 caliber machine guns onboard and returned Japanese fire. For his efforts, he was awarded the Navy Cross — the first African American to receive such a high honor.”

“A pilot, (Phil) Rasmussen was one of the few pilots able to climb into the cockpit of his plane and return fire. Still dressed in his pajamas, he managed to take down one plane and cripple another before making a miraculous landing. For his bravery, he received the Silver Star.”

The invasion was not without cost to the Japanese that day. In fact, the first casualty of the attack was a Japanese Midget Submarine, spotted by a U.S. patrol boat as it was entering the Harbor — 1½ hours prior to the Japanese aerial attack. Even with this dangerous warning sign, Navy brass didn’t conclude that a full-scale invasion was imminent.

As the first wave of Japanese planes swooped in shortly before 8 a.m., Kenneth Taylor was the first to get his fighter into action, along with Lt. George Welch. Together they downed 6-8 planes. In total, 14 American pilots managed to shoot down 10 Japanese fighters and bombers. By the time the attack ended, 29 Japanese aircraft, 65 men and five midget subs were lost.

In remembering the 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, another tragic 20th anniversary for America comes to mind. Gambler or not, you’ve probably heard the craps shooter’s lucky refrain, “Seven come eleven.” In the case of American history, though, it’s not so lucky at all when it comes to dates on a calendar. Dec. 7, come Sept. 11.

Both are dates “which will live in infamy.” On the latter 2001 date, the horrifying death tolls ranged between 2,900 and 3,899, depending on sources; even more than those who lost their lives in 1941.

But there were similarities. In each case, they were arguably the result of the greatest intelligence blunders in American history, rife with misread warning signs as well as outright negligence and miscommunication. Surprise was total.

The instruments of death in both cases were employed with aircraft attacking on clear, sunny mornings.

American symbols of economic and military might were targeted: The naval fleet at Pearl Harbor — the World Trade Center and the Pentagon during 9/11.

Shock gave way in some cases to panic when faced with the incomprehensible idea that a nation or terrorist group could be filled with so much hatred toward us to commit these atrocities. If imaginable, 9/11 was even more evil in that the targets at the Twin Towers were civilians whose only crime was living the American way of life.

Finally, in both instances, the Japanese military state and al-Qaida mastermind Osama Bin Laden paid the ultimate price for their treachery.

Much to the surprise of our enemies, who underestimated the strength of our resolve, Americans set aside their differences and came together as one people to resist a common enemy.

Most remarkable on that terrible day of 9/11, rather than running away, we have countless examples of first responders — professional and civilian — who rushed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in an attempt to rescue the trapped and injured, only to become victims as well. Even so, many were rescued through their selfless actions.

There were other heroes as well, like those passengers of Flight 93 who risked it all to stop terrorists from turning their commercial jet into another missile aimed at some unknown target in Washington, D.C. Who will ever know the number of lives saved by their bravery?

Like it or not, we now find ourselves in a different kind of war. A War on Terror. Unlike past wars, this one has no boundaries, no uniforms and no creed other than hate and the tactics to strike fear among those in the civilized world.

An enemy that feeds on pure evil cloaked in their misguided radical beliefs to somehow justify their atrocities cannot prevail, so long as there are freedom-loving people who are resolved to protect their liberties and the lives of the innocent. We demonstrated that long ago on Dec. 7 and Sept. 11. Our adversaries will continue to underestimate the American people’s will and the ability to unite when we’re up against it. They’ll never understand what it means to be an American. Sometimes even we can’t even explain it. It’s our secret sauce that makes us hard to duplicate and even harder to crack.