December 7 is the date the United States entered World War II with Japanese attacks on Guam, Wake Island, Pearl Harbor, United States forces in China, and the Philippines (at that point a Commonwealth of the United States and dependent upon the United States for defense). The Japanese also attacked British colonies in Asia (Hong Kong, Malaya).
Neither the
United States or Great Britain had the necessary resources to defend
their possessions in Asia resulting in Japanese conquests that were not
reversed until 1945.
Most
military personnel in the Philippines (United States Army and Philippine
Army) were surrendered in April and May of 1942. Troops on Bataan
(surrendered on April 9, 1942) endured the "Bataan Death March" with
many deaths (perhaps 1,000 US and 5,000+ Filipino) resulting from
disease / malnutrition but also from executions (murders) by Japanese
guards. Filipino prisoners were - in general - released in 1943 / 1944,
although many had died in the prison camps. United States prisoners -
that had not died in prison camps - were either liberated in 1944/45 or
shipped to Japan / Formosa / Korea as "slave laborers" and those that
survived were freed in 1945 by either United States or Soviet troops.
In
the reconquest of the Philippines the Japanese tried to hold the city
of Manila, leading to a bloody siege with many Filipino civilians deaths
- far more bloody and deadly than the Gaza siege has been (so far).
There
has been some comment on the reaction of younger generations to the
Hamas terror attack and subsequent Israeli response. Please consider
the following -
*My generation grew up with
parents and teachers that were in World War II - there are few military
veterans teaching in our schools now;
*The "Eichmann
Trial" occurred in my youth - with a great deal of publicity of the
German Holocaust - When is the last time you heard of Albert Eichmann?
and
The
younger generation of the 21st century is far more diverse (ethnically)
than my generation. Western nations (United States, Canada, Europe)
are more conversant with the German Holocaust - while those with Asian,
African or Latin American backgrounds have different histories of the
World War II era.
In this day and age - with
talk of "pilotless drones", "Precise targeting" and "crimes of war" -
we must remember that our military - even when not at war - risks their
lives every day (see the recent fatalities from the Osprey crash near
Japan).
