With Americans still reeling from the atrocities of Sept. 11, the nation observed and mourned another tragic day in U.S. history that occurred 60 years ago last Friday'the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Although Dec. 7, 1941, will forever be remembered as a \day which will live in infamy,"" the images of Sept. 11 will also remain etched upon the hearts and minds of the American people.
""You need time to gain perspective on the issue,"" said UW-Madison history Professor John Sharpless. ""But clearly no one will forget what happened on Sept. 11.""
Even though the two dates greatly differ in circumstances and conditions, looking to the past can be one way to shed light upon an uncertain future that faces America yet again.
Richard Leonard, a World War II veteran and editor in chief of The Daily Cardinal in the year following the war, analyzed reactions to the two attacks.
""In the case of Pearl Harbor you had a military target,"" he said. ""There was tension all over the world, but it was still a surprise within that framework. With Sept. 11, it was a surprise attack not only in nature, but also a surprise in that civilians were the target.""
While attacks with the magnitude of Sept. 11's seemed inconceivable before the terrorists struck, Leonard said he remembers a similar attitude he felt while reading a newspaper at a baseball game several months prior to Pearl Harbor.
""[The paper] warned of a possible attack from the Japanese, and I remember everyone thinking about how that was so impossible it was of no concern,"" he said.
But Leonard said he sees a valuable lesson that can be taken away from both incidents.
""We sometimes get too smug in the U.S. about our own power,"" Leonard said. ""Now that we know what kind of damage can be done by one person, we need to be smarter about how we conduct our affairs.""
Sharpless said he also recognized a national reaction comparable to Pearl Harbor.
""I think there is a similar reaction of indignation to the acts and a sense of vulnerability to being attacked,"" he said.
But Pearl Harbor is not the only piece of U.S. history applicable to the recent events. Lessons learned from the Vietnam War are also relevant in the current war against terrorism, according to Sharpless.
The use of the Northern Alliance, heavy strategic bombing and the late utilization of U.S. ground troops are all possible ways to prevent the re-emergence of a Vietnam War, Sharpless said.
""The legacy of Vietnam is that too many men were sent,"" he said. ""Now you didn't see any ground troops until the Taliban was clearly gone.""
But domestically, America may be worse off now than it was during Vietnam, said Paul Soglin, mayor of Madison during the final years of the Vietnam War. Soglin cited the loss of civil liberties, such as the holding of potentially innocent individuals and wiretapping, as problems that need to be corrected.
""We learned some lessons from Vietnam, but the abuse of power and failures in foreign policy still haunt us,"" he said.
Leonard said he equated the greater demand for security with more violations on liberty.
""[Sept. 11] was a landmark event ... and with the new need for security there will definitely be restrictions on freedom,"" he said.
