Monday, December 7, 2009

68th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

Today marks 68 years since that "Day of Infamy" when US forces at Pearl Harbor were attacked without warning by planes and submarines of Japan. This sneak attack plunged the US into World War II.

Considering all the military build up the United States had been going through in the years leading up to the 7th, our entry would seem to have been inevitable.

I was fortunate to get to go Pearl Harbor several years ago. I went to the USS Arizona Memorial. Viewing the names on the wall were much like the feeling you get at the Vietnam Wall. There were many Japanese tourists there as well. Nothing was said to them, but you have to wonder what they were thinking.

Oil still seeps up from the Arizona with several drops surfacing every minute. I watched these for about seven minutes. It connected me to the events of that day.

The USS Missouri, now a memorial as well, is moored less than a mile away from the wreck of the Arizona, however today the Missouri is in a dry dock undergoing repairs until January.

A Day to Remember.

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