December 7th, 1941 changed the course of history for the world, our country, and my own family, as my grandparents traveled overseas to join the fight as active duty military members.
Paying Tribute
As Navy veterans, we will observe a moment of silence today for those who perished in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. We will also honor the survivors, some of whom will be present for this morning’s ceremony at the site of the attack on Oahu. As centenarians, some survivors still make the annual trip to pay tribute to the fallen.
Families Destroyed
Twenty-three sets of brothers stationed together at Pearl Harbor were killed that day. Families also lost their fathers and sons who served together. Of the men stationed on the USS Arizona who survived the attack, 44 of them chose to be interred with their shipmates upon their passing, in the well of Arizona’s gun turret four.
The Other Rainbow
To this day, oil continues to leak from her wreckage. Estimated at nine quarts per day, there is enough oil remaining in Arizona’s hull to last 500 years. Referred to as Tears of the Arizona, the oil droplets have been studied by scientists in an attempt to locate the precise location of the leak.
Standing on the platform of the USS Arizona Memorial, one can see the rainbow sheen as the droplets rise to the surface…
Oil from 1941, placed in her tanks by the men who slept in her berths the morning of December 7th.
