From The United to The Disembodied States of America
From that December morning, Americans became The United States of America.
Recently, I had the good fortune to visit the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The memorial to the sailors who perished and its significance in the context of United States history are thought-provoking and inspiring.
The events of that December 7, 1941, morning in Hawaii pushed the United States into a worldwide battle against fascist forces. From the defeat of the attack, Americans rose from the metaphorical ashes of that day.
Perhaps at no time in the last 100 years, maybe even the entire scope of American history, were Americans united to support our armed forces and take a stance against the anti-democratic fascist forces enveloping the world. While American and allied sailors, soldiers, and airmen fought and died around the world, back home, people voluntarily made sacrifices to support the war effort and eliminate the fascist scourge.
From that moment in 1941, Americans joined together and truly became The United States of America. In the post-WW II era, while Americans mainly remained united, several challenges emerged.
Through these challenges - like the fight for voting and civil rights and opposition to the Vietnam War - Americans ultimately came out of the meat grinder, and our 250-year experiment in democracy has endured and in many ways been enhanced. But today, things feel different for this 1950s Baby Boomer.
While the visit to the USS. Arizona was inspiring and reminded me that, despite our flaws, we have a system to address them nonviolently through our institutional strength, backed by the ideal that All Men are Created Equal. The strength of these institutions rests on the goodwill of men and women elected and sworn to uphold and protect the American Constitution and follow the law.
Reflecting on the sacrifice of those sailors and countless others throughout our history who fought to preserve American democracy and deliver us from the scourge of slavery was also a stark reminder of how far we have strayed in the last few years from being The United to becoming the Disembodied States of America.
