I well recall 1991, when this newspaper spent a good deal of space on the 50th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I was head of the paper's art and graphics department and we produced lots of special logos, maps and charts.
On Dec. 8, 1991, Pearl Harbor news took up the top half of the front page under the headline "Bush sees lesson in Pearl Harbor history."
President George H.W. Bush, who was in Hawaii for the occasion, said that the attack "was a tragedy spawned by isolationism."
An estimated 5,000 Pearl Harbor survivors made the pilgrimage for the 50th anniversary. Their numbers, which began in 1941 with an estimated 60,000, were rapidly dwindling by 1996. Today, the youngest among them are in their 90s. Last year, fewer than 2,500 remained, according to Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the USS Arizona Memorial.
The surprise (or maybe not such a surprise) attack killed more than 2,400 servicemen and propelled the United States into World War II.
I also recall in subsequent years the complaints the paper received when Pearl Harbor commemoration stories fell off the front page and deeper and deeper into the paper. America, it seems, had other things to think about after 50 years.
Now we come to anniversary No. 75 and there's a renewed interest in Pearl Harbor. Perhaps there are applicable lessons to learn today. Maybe there's nostalgia for a fading breed of heroes who stood to their posts. For whatever reason, History Channel and Smithsonian Channel have several worthwhile specials lined up for this weekend.
First up is Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later, premiering at 8 p.m. Saturday on History. Then, Pearl Harbor: The Truth debuts at 9 p.m. Sunday.
In addition, History will air a number of original short-form offerings, Pearl Harbor: The Last Word, in prime-time spots throughout the weekend. The briefs will feature recent interviews with 25 Pearl Harbor survivors ranging in age from 92 to 104.
History Channel publicity notes, "The men speak candidly about a range of topics including the horrors they witnessed the day of the attack, their anger with the enemy, and life before and after the attack."
Encore presentations of the programs will air on History during the day on Dec. 7.
History Channel president Jana Bennett says, "History wanted to offer a fresh perspective of that fateful day. I think our long- and short-form programs accomplish that, bringing newly discovered facts to the forefront with Pearl Harbor: The Truth, and giving voice to a group of ordinary Americans who, as young men, became participants in history with Pearl Harbor: The Last Word."
Pearl Harbor: 75 Years Later features interviews with experts, military officials and those who lived through the attack. History says it "will show how this tragedy continues to shape our country today."
Pearl Harbor: The Truth is based on the book, A Matter of Honor, with the subtitle Pearl Harbor: Betrayal, Blame and a Family's Quest for Justice by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan.
The book presents documents that "expose the serious intelligence and military blunders that allowed the early warning signs of the Japanese attack to be missed."
Was there a massive cover-up? Did President Franklin D. Roosevelt know the attack was coming? The special examines the evidence.
Meanwhile, over on Smithsonian Channel, The Lost Tapes: Pearl Harbor will premiere at 8 p.m. Sunday.
The special revisits Dec. 7, 1941, moment-by-moment entirely through newspaper and radio reports, public statements, photos, wire dispatches, recently declassified documents, and footage recorded in the days before, during and after the attack.
Smithsonian Channel spokesman David Royle labels the special as "TV at its most raw, its most visceral" with "an immediacy that is always fascinating and sometimes shocking."
CHRISTMAS SPECIALS
• Good grief! A Charlie Brown Christmas airs at 7 p.m. today on ABC. Watch it for the 20th or 30th time. It never gets old.
• Lovin' Lucy. At 7 p.m. Friday, CBS will present the I Love Lucy Christmas Special consisting of two colorized episodes.
• Bring hankies. Your annual airing of It's a Wonderful Life comes at 7 p.m. Saturday on NBC. Spoiler alert: An angel gets its wings.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend on 12/01/2016