What are doing at 7:55 AM Sunday, December 7th 2008 ?

[Frankie Lamb]

Personally, I'll be giving a prayer for all of our men and women, both military and civilian, who perished at Pearl Harbor sixty-seven years ago. Hope I'm not alone.
Bless 'em all
Frankie Lamb

 

[Story]

HONOLULU (AP) -- With an eye on the immediate aftermath of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of World War II veterans and other observers are expected on Sunday to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the devastating Japanese military raid.

The theme of the event - "Pacific War Memories: The Heroic Response to Pearl Harbor" - is something of a departure from the past.

Usually, the commemoration focuses on the attack on the USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor and several other installations on Oahu. But this year's remembrance ceremony will center more on the months following the raid, said Eileen Martinez, chief of interpretation for the National Park Service.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PEARL_HARBOR_ANNIVERSARY?SITE=AP

 

[MrBern]

sunday morning

I was in Honolulu thinking about the anniversary. Looking out at the beautiful Pacific morning sky, its hard to imagine it filled w/ screaming attackers & billowing smoke.

We went over to the Arizona Memorial to partake in the commemoration.
Then we caught our plane back to NYC. So my head still spins when I think about the survivors & the ships.

I last visited the memorial for the 2001 anniversary. That was emotional to see the Pearl Survivors mix & commiserate w/ the 9/11 survivors.
And there was the bittersweet recognition that many of the elderly vets would unlikely make another long trip to Pearl.
So this year it was expected, but still sad to see so few of them.

So yesterday, Dec 7 2008, its hard to describe the mirth & charm of seeing the Pearl Survivors greet each other & chat. I overheard two gentleman greeting each other with a wink & a grin & commiseration over their lost planes & friends, " You were an old man back then.."
"Yes...I was twenty-one..."
"...I was nineteen"

Its daunting to think about what those kids had to handle in 1941.
And its nice to see them teetering about, not taking any guff.