Pearl Harbor and You

I read about a week or so ago that the Pearl Harbors Survivors Association is dying. Literally. The members of the organization—devoted to remembering an event they lived through in December 1941—are passing away. The river rolls on. Two things die with them. One is the collective oral memories of the members. Yes, it’s likely many of the members wrote their memories down on paper. But there’s … [Read more...]

Leadership, History, and Mistakes

Mistakes are one of the most powerful engines of history. Think about it--the act of making a mistake is behind many of the influential moments of history. Tomorrow, December 7, is the anniversary of a great mistake, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Three mistakes lay behind this event. First, Japanese leaders believed the attack would cripple American military capability and undermine the … [Read more...]