Both National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and International Civil Aviation Day fall on December 7, and all throughout the United States they are remembered. While they both focus on the skies, they are very different.

Pearl Harbor is a United States Navy base in Honolulu, Hawaii, way out into the Pacific Ocean. During World War II, on December 7, 1941, while Hawaii was a territory but not yet a state, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service let on an attack at the base. A little before 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, dropping bombs and destroying about 20 American naval vessels, eight battleships, and 300 planes. They also left more than 2,500 Americans dead, including civilians in the area. The attack was a surprise, and it began our war against the Japanese. To remember this day, memorials have been built to honor the crew of the USS Utah, USS Arizona, and USS Oklahoma, who had no chance to save their lives. Pearl Harbor is their final resting place.

On a more positive note, International Civil Aviation Day is to show the importance of non-military aviation, mostly flight activities. “Civil aviation helps to improve the social and economic developments of States. The United Nations recognizes that international flight is also an important component of global peace and prosperity” (http://tiny.cc/CivilAviation).

The International Civil Aviation network carries over 4 billion passengers a year. It helps millions and millions of jobs. It creates amazing global wealth. This day has been celebrated for over 75 years, and will keep being celebrated from years to come.

People commemorate this day by thanking flight attendants, and more. If we did not have them where would we be today?