Similarities and differences between the 9/11 attack and the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

Similarites:

  1. The element of surprise was present in both events.
  2. Americans had a “it simply couldn’t happen to us” mentality.
  3. We felt a loss of innocence, and inability to fully grasp what was happening.
  4. The feeling of fear that the world has changed and we are powerless to do anything about it.
  5. A demoralizing sense of confusion and awareness that things will never be quite the same.
  6. The huge loss of life and destruction of things that had seemed indestructible.
  7. The growth of racial distrust and hatred.

Differences

  1. In 1941, there was no television, no Brokaw, or Jennings, or Rather to tell us what was happening. In Hawaii, we had virtually NO news to guide us.
  2. On December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, and it was done.
  3. Americans immediately knew who the enemy was, and Japan became the focus of efforts to respond.
  4. In the 1941 attack, many civilians were killed or injured, but by far, most of the casualties were military, and the locations were military bases. Today, the major damages, injuries and loss of life were at civilian facilities, but the attack on the Pentagon, the very heart of our military, is without precedent.
  5. In 1941, the attack was on a Sunday, and most families were at home together. The recent attack was on a weekday, and families were separated by work schedules or school attendance. This is one of the most heartbreaking factors today, as families try to find information about the huge number of people who are still “missing.”
  6. In 1941, we were out of school for 2 months, my school was converted into a hospital, and I had to change schools.
  7. Because Hawaii is the most isolated land mass in the world, in 1941 we had a serious supply problem with all sorts of things we take for granted, ranging from food to toilet paper.

What can you do?

  • Write down your thoughts and feelings on this event, describing what happened to you.
  • Talk to others—your friends, your teachers, your family, about how you feel. Express yourself.
  • Find ways to help others, which is a wonderful gift that you can give, and the best way to begin feeling useful, healthy and in control.
  • Donate money: www.redcross.org or donate blood: 1-800-448-3543.