“Battleship Row” after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37) is visible the foreground, behind her is USS Maryland (BB-46), USS West Virginia (BB-48) burns furiously on the right.

I know it’s not Thursday.

Today I was thinking about Pearl Harbor Day and the bold unbridled courage so many men and women showed on December 7, 1941. Shaped by the Great Depression and WWI, the Greatest Generation was galvanized by a handful of shared core values that fueled their perseverance during WWII.

My friend’s father was on the Oklahoma and was woken from a deep sleep at 7:55am to the violent attack unleashed on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As the boat was capsizing the order was given to abandon ship. Typically you would go to the low side and jump into the water but those guys were getting shot so he ran to the high side and leaped. He survived that day. 2,403 military personnel and civilians lost their lives and countless others were injured and carried the invisible scars of war throughout the rest of their lives.

I am grateful for the Greatest Generation who withstood the horrors of war, the sacrifices made by their families, and the collective loss to society as we lose them to time.

As you know, I’m always thinking about decision making. I wonder what the collective values held by the Greatest Generation are… courage, perseverance, thriftiness, humility, love of country. Regardless of their varied backgrounds, differing cultural experiences, and unique upbringings, they shared values and created a unified goal, making anything possible. 

Values, when we connect to them, create 

decision commitment, solutions, and action.

It is estimated that the youngest Pearl Harbor survivor is 97 years old. Remember and honor them today.

With gratitude,

Decision Coach