Lest you think I forgot, it’s National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
My family's rapidly deteriorating copy of the front page of the December 7, 1941 Lorain Journal Extra is a symbolic reminder of just how long it's been since the attack on Pearl Harbor – 79 years. You can’t turn a page without it crumbling and leaving tiny pieces on the floor. But we should never forget what happened that day, whether it’s the 79th or 109th anniversary.
As for how the Journal reported it, the war news is pretty much confined to bulletins on the front page outlining our entry into the war, and unconfirmed radio reports of the attack itself. The rest of the paper has no mention of war.
The Japanese attacks were made at 2:20 pm Lorain time, so it was just too soon for the paper to have any photos. The front page of the December 8, 1941 Lorain Journal (which I posted here) didn’t have any actual war photographs either.
It’s strange to read 1941 Associated Press material that merely reports the facts, with no bias (unlike the AP of today, in which almost every article is a signed opinion piece).
3 comments:
May all the young men who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor live on in our hearts.We should never forget what the Japanese did to them.If anybody can get a chance to visit the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Hawaii it is worth their time to go.It is sacred ground that has to be seen in person to understand just what the savage Japanese killers did to our boys.
Very nice piece, Dan. Thank you.
And how ironic it is that one of the most celebrated of all WWII veterans has passed away on Dec 7,2020.General Chuck Yeager passed away at 97 years of age.Without veterans like Chuck Yeager it is hard telling what life would be like under Japanese rule if the Japanese had taken over and successfully invaded America.Real live heroes like Chuck Yeagers life is the stuff that movies are made into,like the 1983 classic "The Right Stuff"....God speed General Chuck Yeager.Your love for this country and for what it stands for will never be forgotten.
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