To The Memory of Those Gallant Men

"To the Memory of the Gallant Men here entombed and their Shipmates, who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941." - USS Arizona Memorial

Visiting the USS Arizona this past year, I don’t think that I was prepared for the wave of emotion that met me as I boarded the memorial. If you have had the opportunity to experience Pearl Harbor I am sure you know what I was feeling. I used the word experience, because that is exactly what it is. The National Park Service sets t...he stage with the World War II Valor In The Pacific presentation. The tour boat that takes you across the harbor to the memorial was somber, not a word was spoken.

Standing on the memorial, gazing out on the Pacific Ocean, seeing the remains of the ship just beneath my feet, the smell of fuel still rising to the surface I imagined all the battleships sitting there that early morning, the crews about to realize the “Day that will live in infamy”. I could feel the rumble in the air of the incoming aircraft, the bombs dropping from the sky, the chaos, the fear. My emotions overwhelmed me and the tears filled my eyes.

I have had the opportunity to see many of the memorials that makeup the history of our county, but this was the one that shook me to my core. On this National Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance, I share this image of the wall of names who lost their lives that day.