Introduction
On the surface, the occurrences of December 7, 1941, and that of September 11, 2001, draw some similarities. On both occasions, the US suffered from left-field attacks whose magnitudes defy imagination. Many lives were lost in both, and the loss is still being felt today. Whole families were forever changed by the attacks. Both attacks were condemned on a global scale, and a huge fraction of the rest of the world rallied behind the US. These similarities tend to make the two attacks seem almost engineered by the same forces. However, upon closer scrutiny, some significant differences show up.
Differences between World War II and September 11
When the US was attacked in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, it responded with aggression. All resolutely committed towards a violent retaliation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself led the rest of the country with his declaration that the fateful day is forever remembered in infamy. Over 16 million soldiers were deployed to settle the score with the Japanese, the Germans, and the Italians (Michael, 2002). The rest of the citizens back in America showed their support by tightening their budgets and rations to support the war. Of the soldiers thus deployed, over 400,000 never came back home. Yet the war was fought from all fronts, even across continents thousands of miles away. American losses in human life paled in view of their commitment to even the score.
In 2001, when the twin towers were brought down, America’s response couldn’t have been more different from that of 1941. America displayed surprising restraint at their loss. George Bush sent some soldiers over to Afghanistan and Iraq in order to quell terrorism from the roots. President Saddam Hussein and his strongholds were destroyed. Yet these actions are minimal when compared with what the US was capable of if it had decided to go into a real war. The entire country seemed almost fatigued by war and displayed a great reluctance to sacrifice lives. In fact, most of the actions that the US took were defensive- where security was tightened and so on (Michael, 2002). The common consensus, seemingly, was that September 11 was a very unfortunate day, and should be put into the past as soon as possible.
In 1941, the Pearl Harbor attack targeted purely military personnel. Many naval ships were sunk, and all casualties were soldiers. About 2,500 soldiers were killed in the attack (Nardo). The attack was viewed as a provocation from the East. Retaliation was justified on all fronts. But even more significantly, the US knew exactly who the perpetrators of the attack were, and hence they had a target during the war. But in 2001, the attack happened in a mainland setting, and almost all the casualties were civilians (Michael, 2002). The attack was neither a provocation nor retaliation by the terrorists. It was a message against western civilization, and all casualties were just the unfortunate messengers. If the US had resolved to retaliate, it would have had to deal with an amorphous target shroud in pseudo-religious beliefs (Douglas, 2003).
In a sense, the attack on Pearl Harbor was expected. The US was already engaged in war, and the Japanese action can be seen to have been retaliation. An attack was expected from them only that its exact locality couldn’t have been guessed at. But the destruction of the Twin Towers was nothing short of a bad surprise for everybody. No one was expecting the needless slaughter of innocent civilians from a fanatical grouping. The terrorists carried the whole operation in total secret. In fact, according to Osama Bin Laden, some of the terrorists aboard the infamous planes didn’t know what the pilots in the cockpits were up to (Thomas, 2004).
Another difference between the attack in 1941 and that in 2001 is the long-term effect. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, America’s action was decisive, and it quickly settled the score against the Japanese. The reconstruction of Pearl Harbor itself begun soon afterward, However, after the Twin Towers were brought down, some long-term consequences are still to be resolved. The area on which the Twin Towers stood is called now Ground Zero. Reconstruction of the lost property has happened very slowly. And plans for building other comparably huge buildings have also been affected by concerns for safety. The attack proved that no one was safe from the terrorists. It was no longer an issue between the American military and those from another country. Everybody was a potential victim, and there was no predicting when the ax would fall. Some traumatized people avoided going near Ground Zero for years afterward (Jim, 2005).
Conclusion
Pearl Harbor will always be remembered for the heroism of the American soldiers, and the ability of the citizens to unite together against a common enemy. Memories of that epoch ring with war cries. On the other hand, September 2001 evokes rage and a demand for justice. The common perception is that the attack was uncalled for, and the loss of lives should be accounted for. However, no decisive action to satisfy this need for justice is being taken. The citizens are galled with images that show just how resilient humanity can be against injustice. That particular epoch rings with deep melancholy (Michael, 2002) for many people. But perhaps, with the change in the society between 1941 and 2001, people have grown weary and wary of violence, and would rather pursue diplomatic channels. Only time will tell whether this is really the case.
Works cited
Douglas Kellner from 9/11 to Terror War: The Dangers of the Bush Legacy Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Page 66-69.
Jim Dwyer As quoted in the Gotham’s magazine, 2005.
Michael Oren (2002) September 11: One year later. Web.
Thomas Sowell (2004) 9/11 Commission’s Titanic Irresponsibility. Web.