Today is the 68th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan.
Pearl Harbor survivors have met at the site every five years for four decades. But they're now in their 80s or 90s and are not counting on a 70th reunion. They've made every effort to report for one final roll call.Nearly 500 survivors are expected to make the trip to Hawaii to recall the shocking air raid destroyed or heavily damaged 21 ships and 320 aircraft. The attack killed two-thousand, 390 people, wounded nearly 12-hundred others - and plunged the U.S. into World War II.
Related: Photos at About.com, Naval History Center
Tags: Pearl Harbor, World War II, Media 101, Media by Sistrunk
7 comments:
Deb,
Thanks for the reminder. I don't know much about this infamous day in your country's history, but I will be reading up more about it to learn more.
Happy TGIF~
Enid
The bombing of Pearl Harbor was indeed a tragic event. It is sad also to see that the Pearl Harbor survivors are dwindling down because of age and won't be able to go to many more reunions of the event. God bless the surviors of the Pearl Harbor bombing during the time they have left on earth!
I was shocked when I realized how old the survivers of Pearl are now. The group feels that this might be their last gathering.
A few years ago I was out at the Pearlridge Shopping Centre and standing in a Japanese-owned department store I was struck by the irony of the fact that we were gazing right down at the Arizona Memorial.
Somehow it just didn't seem right.
Cheers,
Ian
I posted about Pearl Harbor as well for the anniversary. I just hope they figure out a way to remove all of the oil that is still inside the Arizona......a little leaks out every day, but as the ship begins to disintegrate it is going to become an ecosystem hazard.
Enid: There is a lot for many of us to learn about Pearl Harbor. ElementaryHistoryTeacher taught me something new about the oil.
Tubby: I agree with you. God bless the survivors.
Ian: I think war often makes people do things that they later regret. I can understand your feelings about that store.
EHT: Thank you for teaching me something new. By the way, congratulations on being a finalist for the 2006 Weblog Award!
My father had a cousin who died at Pearl Harbor and name is on the memorial wall. He and my father had been very close, and every December 7th my Dad used to say, "It's Pearl Harbor Day today", and he would get a very sad look in his eyes. When I went to Hawaii, I went to the memorial site and I found my Dad's cousin's name on the wall. After all those years of hearing his story, it was very moving for me.
Josie
Danita: How cool of you to stop by. I appreciate your kind words.
I'm adding you to my blogroll. Your site is awesome!
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