Today is Pearl Harbor Day
Today, December 7th, is Pearl Harbor Day.
On this day in 1941, the Imperial Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, our naval base in Hawaii.
I recall passing the USS Arizona Memorial in 1970 when I was an 18-year-old sailor stationed on the aircraft carrier USS KItty Hawk. The memorial floats directly above the sunken USS Arizona.
Formed in a single line along the side of the carrier’s long flight deck, we stood at attention in our dress white uniforms as we passed the memorial.
To this day, all U.S. Navy ships entering Pearl Harbor perform this ceremony.
Hanging on a wall in my basement office is a large framed photo of the USS Kitty Hawk passing the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, so I think of that day often.
All Americans should remember December 7th, 1941, as well as September 11th, 2001.
The two attacks should serve as a reminder that in order to prevent future attacks, we need a strong and capable military, as well as strong and capable intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
You might be interested in visiting the Defense Department’s web site today, as the web site offers some fine photos and features about Pearl Harbor.
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On a more serious note:
Honestly, this is, strangely, the only place I even saw it mentioned today.
I didn’t go searching for it, but I didn’t see it in national news coverage, local, or on cnn.com. It may have been there but disappeared before I looked.
Hard to say why.