Wednesday, December 7, 2011

USS Arizona Memorial

Taking a break from our theme week to commemorate the 70th anniversary on the attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base. At 7:53am, waves of fighter-bombers from aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the naval base and neighboring Hickam Army Air Field. The attack resulted in over 2,400 killed, and several battleships sunken while moored at Ford Island. Other military bases on O‘ahu: Wheeler Army Air Field. Bellows Army Air Field, ‘Ewa Marine Corp Air Field, and Kāne‘ohe Marine Corp Air Field were also attacked.

We pause to remember those who lost their lives on the "Day of Infamy". To this day, there are still sailors and marines who are entombed in the sunken hulls of those battleships. Over 2,000 survivors made their way back to Pearl Harbor to mark this anniversary. The Hawaiian name for Pearl Harbor is Pu‘uloa.

My mom told me that a Japanese fighter plane was shot down and crashed a couple of hundred yards from my grandparents' house in Wahiawā, as planes were attacking Wheeler. My grandfather, on my dad's side, was at work near the naval base when the attacks began.

2 comments:

Lori said...

I was watching the commemoration on tv. Your photo today is very fitting. I visited the Arizona memorial once and it was very moving.

Pat Tillett said...

I've been there and it is a VERY moving experience. Dec 7th, was a tragic day. Also tragic, was the way the Japanese U.S. citizens were treated by the government...