I was very small
the day they bombed Pearl Harbor
but I remember my mother
dashing around the kitchen
saying nothing to me
or my little sister
but kids know when
something’s wrong
especially when their mother
dials the rotary phone
over and over
trying to reach their father
working in some alley
climbing a light pole
to fix electricity.
On the anniversary
of Pearl Harbor I think of
the few veterans alive
flying to the scene
to be honored
and for some reason
I think of two other men
Tebow and Kaepernick,
different as men can be,
who for causes as different
as they are, are
mocked in public for
enjoying the freedom
America stands for when
they silently take a knee.
Operation AI (called Operation Z during the planning) was the Japanese attack on the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The purpose was to prevent American interference with Japan's expansion of its war in China into the overseas territories of the US, UK, and Netherlands in Southeast Asia. The attack began at 7:48 AM, taking the Americans by complete surprise, and lasted 90 minutes. The first wave of 183 attack planes was led by torpedo bombers against the battleships, while dive bombers attacked the air bases on Oahu island. All 8 battleships were damaged, and 4 of them were sunk (though 3 of them were subsequently raised, and 6 of the 8 were returned to service against the Japanese); 3 cruisers,3 destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and a mine layer were also destroyed or damaged. The 171 planes in the second wave attacked the Army Air Forces' Bellows Field near Kaneohe. The US lost 188 aircraft; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 wounded; almost 1/2 of the American fatalities were due to the explosion of the forward magazine of the battleship "Arizona." The Japanese lost 29 aircraft and 5 midget submarines, and 64 servicemen killed and 1 captured. Over the next 7 hours coordinated Japanese attacks were made on the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteAfter an outstanding career as quarterback for the University of Florida, Tim Tebow played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL), two with the Denver Broncos and one with the New York Jets. He was best known for "Tebowing," his propensity to kneel on one knee in prayer with his head bowed and one or both arms resting on the bent knee. On the other hand "Kaepernicking" referred to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick celebrating a touchdown by flexing his right arm and kissing his biceps. (Both athletes have trademarked their poses.) However, Kaepernick was better known for kneeling or sitting through (rather than standing for) the pre-game playing of the US national anthem, as a protest against the way African-Americans were treated. Both athletes were widely praised for their actions, but also mocked (in Tebow's case) or condemned (in Kaepernick's).