It's not 9/11 it's December 7th

The day when Japan attacked Peril Harbor.

Most people know this. If you don’t look up the Youtube videos.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit the USS Arizona that was sunk with about 1/2 of the 2400+ souls that paid the ultimate price for our freedom today. The freedom to text, blog, video, fish and hunt…yes even kneel when we want to.

Personally, I didn’t know what to expect when taking the ferry ride to the memorial. People were talking about everything from the weather to the playing of the National Anthem while the flag was being raised at sunrise.

It hit me like a punch in the gut when I saw all the names of the souls that were below my feet in the sunken ship. It’s hard to describe the feeling there. Many people replaced their cell phone cameras with white handkerchiefs to keep their eyes somewhat dry.

I snapped a photo of a older lady in a wheelchair while she was looking down into the water viewing parts of the Arizona. She was 19 years old when it was sunk. She wasn’t wearing those sunglasses because it was bright out.

The ferry ride back was much different then the ride out. If there was any talking it was at a whisper. A short distance away was the retired USS Missouri. For those of you like I that didn’t know, the Japanese officially surrendered on this ship. In Pearl Harbor the start of the war, resides then end of the war as well.

Her guns are pointed to the USS Arizona to protect her that we should never forget.

#RememberDec7

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Great post BK. I took the same ferry in 2013 and experienced the exact same thing.

Thanks for sharing.Was thinking about it this morning why is it not covered by the media anymore?Sad whats important these days.

Thanks for this Brian, I need to get there someday. I feel drawn to doing so much like I feel a strong need to visit Normandy and the D-Day beaches. Important that we remember!

ET

Well timed BK. I went in April but didn’t have time to do the Missouri. Made special arrangements to get a day in Oahu just for Pearl. 100% well worth it!

A little tribute to my dad:

Louis M. Hinrichs, 1913-1997, USS Honolulu.
He was on deck, on his way to church when the sirens sounded, December 7th, 1941. On his way to his battle station he sees the torpedoes go down the Arizona stacks. His battle station was a small radio room below the water line. During the attack, a torpedo enters the hull in the room next to his but doesn’t detonate. Mr. Hinrichs went on to see action at both Midway and Guadalcanal.

SuperDave1959, many thanks to your father for his service, what an honor to be able to hear him tell those stories.

BK, great post. Pearl Harbor and the tour you described is a must-do.

When it comes to today, Pearl Harbor Day, if people have a few extra minutes go beyond the “well it was on this day in 1941 that Japan unsuspectingly bombed us at Pearl Harbor.” If you take those few minutes and look into any of the information further it’s such an interesting story. Things like why the ships were grouped together; how these servicemembers, green and mostly unprepared to war, were able to muster and return fire at the enemy; how many accounts have described servicemembers literally seeing the faces of the Japanese pilots because they were so low; or how the fight for survival and resue went into December 8th, 9th, etc. as they tried to rescue their fellow servicemembers trapped in their ships.

Unbelievable stuff. Thanks to all who’ve sacrificed for this country.

Dan I was reading a story just yesterday about a few nurses that were walking outside. The Japanese fighter pilot waved at them and of course, they waved back. It wasn’t long after that they were using lipstick on victims foreheads to triage them, most with burns.

Been there myself and indeed it is a very powerful place to visit.

I show a current events show to my students every Thursday called CNN 10. They had a very nice spot about the Pearl Harbor attacks today. It was very good for the kids to see.

To all of our service men and women – I am humbled by your bravery, grateful for your courage, and always respecting that you may give the ultimate sacrifice (as so many have) so that my family can enjoy everything that this country has to offer

THANK YOU

That whole generation went through,sacrificed and did things that boggles the mind………We owe them a lot…
My Dad served in the Pacific in 1945 and there is not many left like him…..
God Bless them all….

My lake uncle survived that attach-RIP Maurice

SuperDave1959 wrote:

A little tribute to my dad:

Louis M. Hinrichs, 1913-1997, USS Honolulu.
He was on deck, on his way to church when the sirens sounded, December 7th, 1941. On his way to his battle station he sees the torpedoes go down the Arizona stacks. His battle station was a small radio room below the water line. During the attack, a torpedo enters the hull in the room next to his but doesn’t detonate. Mr. Hinrichs went on to see action at both Midway and Guadalcanal.

Wow…Thank you for sharing that Dave. That generation is all but gone now. Strange how they did not speak of it much. Many of us in the post WWII “baby boomer” generation learned more about it through historical accounts and documentation than from our own parents.

A day that still lives in infamy. RIP heros. We did you right in the end. You were worth it.

http://qconline.com/news/local/last-q-c-pearl-harbor-survivor-dies/article_88f7e700-d547-598a-8c24-dce2c

cougareye wrote:

Thanks for this Brian, I need to get there someday. I feel drawn to doing so much like I feel a strong need to visit Normandy and the D-Day beaches. Important that we remember!

ET

I have that same strong need to visit those places as well. My brother in law was stationed in Hawaii for a couple years. If we had not just had our first child we would have went to visit.

A few years back, I had the privilege of joining my pilot son on the return trip from Pearl Harbor to Camp Pendleton on the a big deck amphibious assault ship, on it’s return from deployment to the Middle East. After shoving off to make our way out to sea, over a thousand Marines and Sailors, along with the guest civilians like me, were on deck checking out the various aircraft and absorbing the surroundings. As we approached the Arizona, all lined up at attention along the rail with all eyes fixed on the hallowed site. The engines of the 900 ft. flat deck backed off a bit, and all was silent as we glided by; you could hear a pin drop.To simply say that this display was the greatest sign of respect and paying of honor to the sacrifice of the fallen, does not alone do the image justice, until you consider that those men and women in uniform standing there, had themselves just returned from harms way and knew some who had been lost. After spending 7 days interacting with these modern day heroes in the middle of the sky-blue Pacific, witnessing first hand the dedication, expertise, and sacrifice of the highest ranking officers on board, to the riflemen, gunners and mechanics, I can attest to all that our freedom is indeed being well protected.

Last night I watched Pearl Harbor from the survivors perspective on the History Channel.. it’s just mind-boggling to even comprehend what those guys went through. With all the details that were given like draining blood into Coke bottles for using for transfusions. Just all the crude methods that were used in any attempt to save lives. We can all speculate on how we would respond to a moment like that, but until your facing such a horrific tragedy, we wouldn’t know. I really understand why many of those survivors don’t want to talk about it let alone think back to that day. Real Heroes

As I stood over the memorial I couldn’t help but notice the oil surrounding the area. It was if a fisherman just rolled through with a 1894 20hp 2 stroke Merc that was leaking all over the place. I asked one of the workers where it was coming from and he whispered and pointed “the ship” IT was almost as if the ship was still alive. Here’s more on that:

3. Fuel continues to leak from USS Arizona’s wreckage.
On December 6, 1941, Arizona took on a full load of fuel—nearly 1.5 million gallons—in preparation for its scheduled trip to the mainland later that month. The next day, much of it fed the explosion and subsequent fires that destroyed the ship following its attack by Japanese bombers. However, despite the raging fire and ravages of time, some 500,000 gallons are still slowly seeping out of the ship’s submerged wreckage: Nearly 70 years after its demise, Arizona continues to spill up to 9 quarts of oil into the harbor each day. In the mid-1990s, environmental concerns led the National Park Service to commission a series of site studies to determine the long-term effects of the oil leakage.

Some scientists have warned of a possible “catastrophic” eruption of oil from the wreckage, which they believe would cause extensive damage to the Hawaiian shoreline and disrupt U.S. naval functions in the area. The NPS and other governmental agencies continue to monitor the deterioration of the wreck site but are reluctant to perform extensive repairs or modifications due to the Arizona’s role as a “war grave.” In fact, the oil that often coats the surface of the water surrounding the ship has added an emotional gravity for many who visit the memorial and is sometimes referred to as the “tears of the Arizona,” or “black tears.”