Remembering Pearl Harbor
Living in Hawaii, Pearl Harbor is a Big Deal
Living in Hawaii for 30 years gave me a different perspective on a lot of things. Pearl Harbor is no exception. So many people in the US forget about it, or, as one 20-something college student said to me, “Oh Pearl Harbor, that’s like a bombing or something that started a war, right?” Sigh.
I was dismayed back on 9/11/01, while sitting in my Hawaii living room to hear a mainstream media news anchor declare that “The 9/11 attack was the first-ever attack on American soil!” Really?
We forget history at our peril.
It’s fitting that a 74-year anniversary ceremony is being held today at the Arizona Memorial. I have met several of the survivors and their stories* still send chills down my spine.
We recently visited the Arizona Memorial again. It is a solemn and important monument that should be on everyone’s bucket list. There were Japanese from the Hiroshima area in our tour group, and they were not only very polite and respectful, one of them apologized to me for Pearl Harbor. I accepted her apology and then apologized for Hiroshima. We gave each other a little hug and went on our way.
Today is a good day to reflect upon and remember the ramifications of war for both sides.
Thank you to all of the Veterans who volunteer at the Memorial and keep the memories alive. May God Bless those survivors and their families on all sides of WWII, and on all sides of every conflict today.
* Be sure and watch all the stories on youtube attached to the ones I linked you to. It’s a sobering front row to history.
Blessings,
© 2015 Beth Terry • All Rights Reserved