Today's date may be a 'so what' to people who weren't alive during Vietnam. But to those who were adults on December 7, 1941, or who grew up in the shadow of this date, leaving it behind is impossible. 70 years ago, today, Pearl Harbor went up in smoke.

"70 years ago, today, Pearl Harbor went up in smoke."

We memorialized this to remember those killed, so as not to forget things change on moment's notice, and because it proved we're never really safe. That other date, 9/11, showed this as fact.

Complacency towards honoring today's date by a vast majority of Americans shows few people care.

I've stood on the memorial looking down at a sunken Arizona, and peered at Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base buildings with bullet holes from the attack - which remain today. I lived in Aiea, HI in a house where my porch (lanai) overlooked the harbor, so I keep what happened on December 7, 1941 more in the front of my mind than most.

That's why I'd like to get you to think about it, just for a moment - perhaps right now.

On this date 70 years ago, someone in your family was affected for the rest of their life. And, though you may not acknowledge this, so were you.

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