This is the U.S.S. Arizona, the afternoon of December 7, 1941 her decks awash and the fires burning out of control. A few hours following this photo, she would slip below the surface, taking 1,177 brave souls with her. Sixty seven years this past Sunday the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. A total of 2,388 military and civilians were lost in this attack. Twelve Navy ships would be sunk, nine of these ships would later see action in WW II. The battleships U.S.S. Arizona, U.S.S. Utah, and U.S.S. Oklahoma were lost.
The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is a sacred place, members of the ships company still entombed within her hull. The only sign of life is the occasional shimmer of oil seeping from her tanks. Today, as naval vessels pass the memorial, all hands man the rail and salute as the ensign is dipped out of respect for the ship and those men that paid the ultimate sacrifice.
I have manned the rail on many occasions in respect to the U.S.S. Arizona and felt honored but very humble despite the fact she was lost three years and five months prior to my birth. In my thoughts, I could clearly see the scene that transpired that morning. It was a Sunday morning, typical of a Naval vessel in port, it was a day of "holiday" routine. Only minimal chores to be done and the standard "in port" watches set. Most of the crew not on duty are still in their racks, then the shrill call of "General Quarters" followed by the Bos'n, piping all hands and then passing the word, "General Quarters, General Quarters, This Is No Drill, All Hands Man Your Battle Stations, This Is No Drill". This would be the last word that many of these men heard as bombs dropped from the sky over Pearl Harbor.
Out of honor and respect for those that were at Pearl Harbor on that day, both those that perished as well as those that survived, I will not complete the original reason that I commenced this posting. The individual that spawned this blog posting does not deserve the same respect or recognition of the brave men and women that have given us our freedoms that we enjoy today. Comments about this person can be found in my comment section, he deserves no more than that.
-22°F in Deadhorse, AK
8 years ago
