After 77 years, the story of the mighty battleship has been
told again and again: how it took heavy fire, how a bomb blew it apart,
how it sank into the harbor.
To this day, the ship still weeps for her dead.
The USS Arizona had 1.4
million gallons of fuel on board when she went down. About a quart and a half a
day bubbles up from below. Pearl Harbor survivors call the seepage “black
tears.” It’s eerie to see and, in a strange way, a seemingly tangible
connection to those who lie below.
About 300 USS Arizona
sailors survived Japan’s surprise attack.
In the past, survivors have rung the bell as
part of Pearl Harbor Day ceremonies, but this year, none
of the five remaining survivors will make the trip to Pearl Harbor due to
health issues.
Two years ago, to mark
the 75th anniversary, four of the survivors made the trip to Pearl
Harbor as the remains of two of their fallen crewmates were interred in
the sunken ship's wreckage.
A little over a decade ago, there were around 6 million
living World War II veterans; soon they will all be gone.
On December 7th, 1941
they were 18 and 19-year-olds, fully committed to sacrificing their lives for family
and country. We may never see their kind of patriotism again.
The country just laid to rest the last veteran of World War II to serve
as president and a fellow World War II veteran, 95-year-old Sen. Bob
Dole, had to be helped from his wheelchair to stand and salute the flag-draped
coffin of President George H.W. Bush.
As the Greatest Generation
leaves us, they take with them a sense of commitment, duty and grace that might
be impossible to replace.
UPDATE: Welcome readers of Bad Blue Uncensored
News. Thank you Doug Ross for
linking to this post and, if you are a veteran, thank you for your service.
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