Perhaps if we reflected more on all we’ve been through as a country, and the trials of our forebears, we would be more inclined to honor their sacrifices with less division, more public mindedness, and a little kindness.

It was on this date in 1941 that the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military strike against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, awakening Yamamoto’s “sleeping giant” and precipitating the U.S.’s entry into World War II. Ultimately, that probably turned out to be a good thing, but tell that to the 2,403 Americans killed and the 1,178 wounded. Sailors, soldiers, airmen, marines, and civilians were caught in the attack.

In 1991, American composer John Duffy was commissioned by the U.S. government to mark the 50th anniversary of the strike. The result was “A Time for Remembrance: A Peace Cantata.” Duffy dedicated the work to the memory of the victims of Pearl Harbor. Among them were the composer’s sister, brother, and cousin. The texts are taken from a poem by Rupert Brooke, a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an African American spiritual, and actual letters written by sailors aboard the USS Arizona.

James Earl Jones is the narrator on the only recording of the piece, with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra conducted by Zdenek Macal, which I am very sorry to see has not been posted online, though you’ll find a few audio clips when you click on the link. The relevant files are titled “The Dead,” “Letters Home,” “I Want to Die Easy,” “An End to War,” and “Blow out you bugles, over the rich Dead.”

http://www.johnduffy.com/freedomworks.html

Grant us peace – internationally and at home.