The forgotten miracle of June 1942, and what it teaches us today

From June 4-7, 1942, something miraculous occurred near a little island in the Pacific Ocean. It has largely been forgotten to all but the most dedicated history buffs, which is a shame. Because in the grand history of the United States, never has there been a grander testament to the spirit of resilience over despair, daring over fear and hope over seemingly insurmountable odds. It is a forgotten event that sorely needs to be remembered at a time when defeatism is again on the rise and it all too easy to see America's best days as behind it.

America was not great when dawn broke on June 4, 1942. Far from it. Crippled by years of economic depression, the country had faced one disaster after another since being plunged into World War II by the crippling blow at Pearl Harbor. Much of its naval fleet remained in tatters or destroyed at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese had rampaged through the Pacific, capturing one island after another, all the way to Australia. Hitler's Nazi forces controlled much of the European continent, and it would be months or years before the United States could even hope to start turning the tide. Many Americans could scarcely remember a time when anything had gone right for their country. "We don't win anymore" is a misplaced slogan for 2017 but it was entirely appropriate for 1942.

Then it all changed. The Battle of Midway was the greatest naval victory in world history, plain and simple. Not simply because of how decisive it was but because of how unpredictable it was. A naval force that was woefully hobbled and outgunned by its enemy, that had been devastated at Pearl Harbor less than six month earlier, somehow, some way patched itself back together and forever changed the course of World War II and world history.

I won't bore you with the military details, but suffice it to say, that when the battle was over, the vaunted Japanese navy that had known nothing but victory since Pearl Harbor was decimated, four of its aircraft carriers sitting on the bottom of the ocean. The United States would never look back in World War II. 

Whether military history interests or bores you shouldn't matter. The lesson of Midway isn't really military at the end of the day. It's a lesson of faith in the human spirit and what can be accomplished when you don't lose hope. Ultimately, Midway was a tragedy like all battles of all wars are a tragedy. Young men on both sides died. That is never something to be celebrated. But in June 1942, the hopes of the world rested on whether the United States could pick itself up from the ashes of the Great Depression and Pearl Harbor and save democracy and freedom. Sadly, those hopes rested not on diplomacy or other peaceful means but on the power of its military. That was the reality the world faced, the reality that Hitler and Tojo had created. There was much question before June 4, 1942, whether America could possibly rise to the challenge. Afterward, there was little doubt. 

What happened at Midway was a triumph of brilliant code breakers working around the clock at Pearl Harbor to give a crippled navy a strategic advantage it desperately needed. It was a triumph of quiet, determined leaders like Chester Nimitz and Raymond Spruance, who would become the forgotten heroes of World War II, overshadowed by the likes of Eisenhower, MacArthur and Patton, none of whom ever had to overcome the odds these great admirals did. And it was a triumph of fearless naval aviators who were asked to take on a seemingly invincible enemy, and somehow rose to the challenge. 

But most of all Midway was a triumph of resilience, hope and faith in ourselves and one another. Seventy five years later, we need that lesson as much as ever.