Today is the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A couple of days after the attack, a reporter named John Lomax was doing man-on-the-street interviews in Dallas, Texas; he interviewed an elderly woman, Lena Jamison, who had this to say back then:
“My first thought was, what a great pity that another nation should be added to those aggressors who choose to limit our freedom…I find myself at the age of eighty, an old woman, hanging on to the tail of the world, trying to keep up. I do not want the driver’s seat but the eternal verities. There are certain things that I wish to express: one thing that I am very sure of is that hatred is death, but love is light. I want to contribute to the civilization of the world but…When I look at the holocaust that is going on in the world today, I’m almost ready to let go…”
Image and quotation found in the archives of the Library of Congress.
It’s a pity today as well, that Lena Jameson’s sadness prevails in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, another infamous day. Hatred is death, indeed.
Update: To all WW2 Veterans and all Veterans who have served before and after, thank you and God bless you.