Pearl HarborSunday December 7, 1941
"A Day that will Live in Infamy"...F.D. Roosevelt
Today we went back in history because I Love a true story, but if someone would have told me back in junior high when I was tortured by my history teacher (or in high school when I was tortured by my history teacher) that I would enjoy learning about history or even CARE anything about what happened before the 80's, I would have laughed. Come to think about it, I actually think I did a time or two.
Anywho.....I digress.
I think Pearl Harbor and WWII was one of the only eras in history that opened any interest in my mind. I loved learning about Hitler and Nazi camps. I was shocked at the horror of it all and was thrilled that I knew someone who had been there fighting. My grandfathers both fought in WWII but neither was ever willing to talk about it. I never thought I would be in Hawai'i, at Pearl Harbor on Sunday December 7th. What are the odds. It was chilling to be standing in front of this historical marker on the same day of the week.
We decided to take our chances and try to get a seat for the tour. We woke up early and headed out on our mission. We were greeted on the highway by the "missing man" formation fly-by just before 8am. That was when the first bombs hit the harbor. The girls were in awe. It was so cool to watch the one plane leave the others as the "V" flew over the highway in front of us. We arrived to Pearl Harbor shortly after that and I was so excited to get a ticket to go on the boat to the ship's resting place and pay tribute to those 1,177 men who are still there. We had the option to leave and come back because our tour wasn't until 1pm, but instead we went through the pieces of memorabilia, replicas of ships, planes and letters written just days before the bombs to loved ones back home. It was very sad to read letters, much like the ones we get now, from sailors who were so young. To look at the photos and see the place where it happened. It was like it happened yesterday. It was so fresh and real standing there knowing that sunken ship was in the harbor with those sailors who didn't escape, those same ones in the photos I was looking at on the walls.
I used the entire day to educate my girls on the details of what led to the events at Pearl Harbor, the sacrifices these young men made and the sadness of a nation at war because of this day in history. They read the marked pieces with great interest and thought about the things with open hearts. I was so amazed at the thoughts and ideas they were expressing.
It eventually became our turn to get on the boat to see the ship. We made our way to the memorial hall as others were leaving to go back to the shore and the smell of the oil hit me. The oil that continues to leak from the ship makes rainbows in the water surface just above the ship. They call these "tears of the sucken sailors." The legacy of the tears is thought to be for all the survivors. The tears will flow until the last survivor is laid to rest.
The girls were very sad at the fact that there were so many families who lost more than one son that day. We looked at the names and Thorin pointed out how many "Jones" brothers were on the ship. They expressed sadness for the moms of those young men. There were 36 sets of brothers (33 pairs and three sets of three) and one father-son pair. When she (the Arizona) was bombed on December 7, 1941, 24 of those sets and the father-son pair died.
On October 26, 1944, the War Department announced a new policy to remove surviving sons from the hazards of combat. If a family had lost two or more sons in the armed forces and had only one surviving son, either the family or the son could apply for him to be removed from hazardous duties. This policy is still in effect today. This was the basis behind "Saving Private Ryan."
We found out during our tour that there was indeed one less survivor. He was being buried at sea with his shipmates of the USS Arizona that afternoon. It was sad to see all the wreaths and flowers from all the people. It was like you stepped into a funeral home and I almost expected to see caskets. The ship was technically a casket, so I was correct in that aspect.
The survivors who have been buried at the Arizona have been added to the wall and there was a black strip covering the newest addition until after the memorial.
The event was a complete blessing and we were a part of something only a few people can say they experienced. We were at Pearl Harbor on a Sunday, on the day it happened. We attended the memorial service honoring the fallen as well as the survivors. We were there the day they buried another survivor. All these things are amazing by themselves, but my girls and I will be able to tell our friends and family about the day we met survivors of Pearl Harbor. These were not just people who were there on that day, but members of the USS Arizona. Those were their friends; their brothers we were honoring that day. There were 7 in attendance of the memorial and the girls met and spoke to 5 of these men. They were 85-94 years old and looking great. Thorin was allowed to ask them a few questions and I was so proud of her respect and poise.
She wanted to know how they survived, why they were still here today. The answers were varied. Some were heart felt while others tried to joke at first. The best answer of the day was from the sailor in full uniform who was 94 years old. He said he really didn't know how he survived, but that his "commander" wasn't ready for him to quit. He lived through the horror of Pearl Harbor and the war that followed and he knew he was there because God still needed him.
The saddest part of the war for a survivor I spoke to was that there were people in America who didn't know where Pearl Harbor was and why it was so important.
I want to help everyone out who is reading here today. I have added some links to give you some insight into the history and details of Pearl Harbor. It is so touching to witness
3 comments:
What a great thing to attend! As you wrote a piece of your history!
This is a great entry, Criztina! I'm reading it the day after Dorothy died.
Looking at Robert's image above this entry made it even more poignant.
Criztina,
Thanks for writing it all down....I too had a grandfather in WWII and a father in Viet Nam, so it is all very special to me as well. Thanks for sharing your experience at the memorial.
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