Pearl Harbor Day is December 7 -- and in 2010, so is the Islamic New Year. Photo: Brendan Smialowski, Getty Images

There are moments in U.S. history that should be marked with reverence every year. Some, like the 9/11 anniversary, are still fresh in our minds, while others, like Pearl Harbor Day, are often overlooked by many Americans. But that doesn't mean they should be left off the calendar -- or replaced with other holidays.

According to USA Today, supermarket chain Publix did exactly that when it released its free 2010 calendar, which listed December 7th -- which we know as Pearl Harbor Day -- as "Islamic New Year." Now, Publix is in all-out damage control mode as the grocery chain, which has stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, struggles to explain why its calendar omitted one of the most important days in U.S. history -- and replaced it with something that is perceived as scary and foreign.

Publix bigwigs decided to deal with the situation by pulling all of the free calendars as soon as they learned of the outrage ... probably a smart move. Publix also issued a statement, explaining the flub-up: "While no one can disagree that Pearl Harbor Day is an important day of remembrance for our country, our free calendar has never included Pearl Harbor Day since it is not a national holiday. Based on feedback we have received this year, if a free calendar is produced for 2011, we will also include Pearl Harbor Day."

This is a touchy situation. Clearly no disrespect was meant to America's veterans, but now Publix has to deal with culture warriors who believe that their patriotism is being challenged -- or worse -- in favor of political correctness.

In the interest of fairness, 2010 was not the first year that the Publix calendar had included the Islamic New Year in its pages. Since Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar, they shift each year and it just so happened (unfortunately for Publix) that this year's Islamic New Year fell on Pearl Harbor Day.

But have previous Publix calendars included Pearl Harbor Day? No, apparently not, since Pearl Harbor Day is not a national holiday. Publix explained it this way: "As an aside, all the discussion prompted us to research other 2010 calendars. Only one thing is consistent -- inconsistencies. No two calendars are exactly the same; some note the New Year's holidays, others don't; some include Patriot's Day and other's [sic] don't; and unfortunately, a vast majority of calendars do not include Pearl Harbor Day."

Still, that hasn't silenced the uproar.

I see this as an example of a high-powered calendar design screw-up of the highest order. Although most people don't realize it, calendars can quickly turn into culturally-charged manifestos disguised by pictures of fluffy kittens and nature scenes. To include -- or to omit -- a holiday is to make a claim about its validity.

That's why most corporate calendars only include official, nationally recognized bank holidays. The fear is that something exactly like this will happen, and that the result will be offended customers and wasted money.

Obviously, we're very much pro-holiday here at Holidash, but I can still sympathize with those who may let a holiday slip by unrecognized every now and then. We all do it. In fact, I'm fairly confident that most Americans didn't recognize or acknowledge Pearl Harbor Day last month.

It is more likely that the disgruntled Publix shoppers in this case are angry because an Islamic holiday was included in the calendar, rather than because Pearl Harbor Day was left off. I guess we will never know -- but isn't it more egregious that Pearl Harbor Day has been simply left blank on so many calendars for all of these years?

If this truly isn't about the cultural tug-of-war between East and West, I challenge everyone who's outraged about the Publix calendar to write a letter to every US publisher that doesn't include Pearl Harbor Day in their calendars. You may not realize it, but you have the power to get Pearl Harbor Day its proper recognition.