Today marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, which defined a generation.

The attack killed over 2,400 Americans and wiped out most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Starting at 7:55 a.m., it lasted 75 minutes. Those 75 minutes would forever change the course of history, and today’s youth could learn a lot from it.

Ceremonies at Pearl Harbor today honor those who were killed during the attack. A moment of silence was observed at 7:55 a.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. Some of the remaining survivors of the attack returned to pay their respects to the fallen. As each year passes, fewer survivors remain alive to participate in such tributes. As they die, so too does the memory of their heroism and courage.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the country on Dec. 8 and uttered his immortal words, “Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

As the years pass, that infamous date grows less and less significant, soon to become just another on the calendar. Yet, we should spend more time learning about the courage and heroism of people from that era. It would do wonders to revitalize 21st-century society from the delicate, soft, pampered people of today’s generational youth.

The day is quickly approaching when there will be no survivors left. As a country, we cannot forget their legacy. We must remember each of their sacrifices from that fateful day. But more than that, we must also remember what people in that generation endured and represented. It’s their strength and fortitude missing in much of our country today. Pearl Harbor’s generation expected to work hard to maximize their potential in life to live the American dream. Today’s generation feels entitled to it.

While today’s society is taught to be sensitive to anyone’s feelings who claims to be suffering from alleged hardships or difficulties, physical or mental, those who perished on Dec. 7, 1941, lived it. Today, we coddle and console those allegedly traumatized by the latest Dave Chappelle comedy show on Netflix. People at Pearl Harbor had to worry if they were going to be blown up.

Those who lived in Pearl Harbor's generation knew the evils the invasion represented. They were proud to be Americans and knew they had a job to protect their country and the liberty it represented. If today's generation had been alive then, would it have just laid down its arms, surrendered, and apologized for its white privilege, supremacy, and colonialism?

Today, people suffer inexplicable trauma just from name-calling. They need safe spaces as protection from microaggressions. What would those who gave their lives defending the country think of our society today?

We must not let the virtues of the appropriately-dubbed "Greatest Generation" fade away into the entitled privilege of the present generation.