"...A Date which will Live in Infamy"

"Dear Lord

Lest I continue

My complacent way

Help me to remember

Somehow out there

A man died for me today.

As long as there be war

I then must

Ask and answer

Am I worth dying for?"

A poem Eleanor Roosevelt kept in her wallet during World War II

[ √ ] Valor in the Pacific  - USS Arizona Memorial

On Nov 13th, Joel, Camie, and myself visited the USS Arizona Memorial.

We arrived early in the morning to get our tickets.  Before the ferry takes you to the memorial, you are shown a short movie explaining why the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  It was very informative and moving.  It took a lot of my strength to not cry while watching it.  

Joel and Camie on the ferry looking towards the memorial.

The memorial from a distance.

The USS Missouri and USS Arizona

We've arrived.

Some history:

70 years ago, the island of Oahu was attacked. The strike began around 0600 where 6 Japanese aircraft carriers launched their first wave of 181 planes consisting of fighters and torpedo, dive, and horizontal bombers.

At the breaking hours of dawn, the US Navy vessel USS Ward had spotted and sunk an unidentified submarine attempting to enter the harbor. At 0800, an Army radar station had spotted a blip on there scopes which was assumed to be a number of US planes scheduled to arrive that morning.

Shortly before 0800, the quiet Sunday was interrupted as the first wave began their successful surprise attack against US military ships and installations. They hit the airfields at the same time they attacked the fleet that was moored or anchored in the harbor. The Japanese bombed and strafed the Navy airfields at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa, and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler, and Hickam all in an attempt to prevent a counter offensive by US forces.

The main targets in the harbor were the 8 battleships moored there. The USS Pennsylvania was in dry dock while the other 7 were bombed and torpedoed. The USS West Virginia was sank. The USS Oklahoma capsized and sank. At about 0806, an 800 kilogram (1,760 lbs) armor-piercing bomb penetrated USS Arizona's forward deck, detonating an ammunition magazine and setting off a catastrophic explosion.  An immense fireball burst from the ship.  Instantly destroyed and engulfed in flames, the Arizona sank within minutes, taking the lives of 1,177 officers, sailors, and marines.  The resulting explosion and fires resulted in the greatest loss of life on any ship, 1,177 sailors, and numbered about half of the total losses at the end of that day. The USS California, USS Maryland, USS Tennessee, and USS Nevada had all also suffered various amounts of damage during the first attack.

There was a lull in the attack about half an hour after it started, in which the USS Nevada, even while damaged, managed to get underway. She was attacked shortly after, before clearing the harbor as a second wave of 170 planes, which were launched 30 minutes after the first, began their attack. The Japanese focused their attacks on the on the Nevada in an attempt to block the entrance to the harbor, which forced her to beach herself at Hospital Point in order to keep the channel clear.

After almost 2 hours after the attack began, it was over. The US had suffered massive casualties. 2,403 were dead, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 military and civilian were wounded. Aircraft losses were ranged at 188 destroyed and 159 damaged. Of the Pacific fleet, 21 ships were either sunk or damaged. All ships were able to be raised and repaired with the exception of 3. The USS Utah, the USS Oklahoma, and the USS Arizona.

The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the US into WWII, where a divided nation was united and became committed to winning a war that was fought on 2 fronts.

That night, recalled Seaman First Class Raymond D. Emory, USS Honolulu, "Everything was black in Pear Harbor.  The only light was the Arizona burning.  It was eerie."

During the attack on O'ahu, 2,390 men, women, and children died.  Cemeteries, memorials, highways, and holidays honor their loss.

The USS ArizonaI Memorial honors "the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who gave their lives to their country during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 7, 1941."  Dedicated in 1962, the memorial structure stands over the sunken USS Arizona, where 1,177 perished.  More than 900 men still lie entombed within its hull.

It was a very quiet and solemn place.  I was quite surprised how strongly it smelt of oil.  That strong, pungent smell made the memorial that much more real.

When you visit the Arizona, you'll notice the droplets of oil rising to the water's surface, as they slowly leak from the ship in several places.  Some 500,00 gallons of fuel remains on board in dozens of tanks.  But don't worry, the National Park Service closely monitors the release of oil and will take action if the leakage becomes an environmental concern.

Bubbles coming up from below.

Since 1982, survivors who were on board the Arizona on December 7th, 1941, may have their remains entombed within the ship.  National Park Service divers carefully place their ashes into the well of gun turret four.  This unique ceremony allows Arizona survivors to rejoin their fallen shipmates.

These few pictures don't do it justice.  Please click here for an Underwater View of the USS Arizona.

This cement block represents where the ship was docked when it was bombed.

We were quite fortunate to have a living Pearl Harbor survivor on our tour with us.  I was very grateful he allowed me to take a picture with him.

This shows you the lay out of the ship.

Here is how the memorial is constructed.

I thought this was a great picture.  Touching and true quote with the Arizona in the background.

After taking the ferry back, we walked around the museums they had available.  

This was a sad postcard to see. In the picture, you can see Seaman Camden's handwritten note that says, "The Lookout", identifying the location of his lookout station.  When his family received this postcard on December 10th, Camden's drawing must have looks like a haunting depiction of his last day alive.  He died aboard the Arizona.

This machine is a decoder.  This holds a special place in my heart.  My grandfather decoded information to and from the front line in the European Theater of WWII.  He was an amazing man!  If you haven't read my tribute to him, you can check it out here.

I thought this was an awesome piece of history to have displayed.  It's the speech that Pres. Roosevelt delivered to a Joint Session of Congress on Dec 8th, 1941.

One of the amazing acts of courage shown that day.

A model of what the Arizona looks like.

 This is a Japanese bomb like the once that pierced the side of the Arizona.

Joel and Camie enjoying the history!

It was a great experience to visit the memorial.  I am really glad I live this close to history and that people have preserved it so that others may learn and pay their respects to those who have died serving our freedom.

"Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,

Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep

Its own appointed limits keep;

Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea!"

Eternal Father, Strong to Save - first verse - Navy Hymn.

If you'd like to view more videos on Pearl Harbor and what it was like that day, you can access the National Park Services YouTube channel.