Pearl Harbor: Someday All Of Them Will Be Gone

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.

Some Kneel, Others Stand

Former Sen. Bob Dole paid his respects to the late President George H.W. Bush on Tuesday afternoon and was helped out of his wheelchair so he could stand and salute the coffin.

The 95-year-old can no longer walk. An aide lifted him from behind so the former senator could be upright to salute Bush, a fellow World War II veteran. 

Dole then sat in his wheelchair for a few moments, blinking back tears, as he stared at the flag-draped coffin containing the remains of his fellow member of the Greatest Generation.

UPDATE:  Welcome readers of Bad Blue Uncensored News.  Thanks to Doug Ross for linking to this post.

They Shall Not Grow Old As We That Are Left Grow Old

Over 160,000 troops from America, Britain, Canada, free France, Poland and other nations landed along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast of France. It was the largest amphibious invasion force in world history, supported by 5,000 ships with 195,700 navy personnel and 13,000 aircraft.

On that day, the sea along the heavily-fortified beaches of Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, Sword and Pointe du Hoc ran red with the blood of almost 9,000 killed or wounded. It was a major turning point in World War II. Eleven months after D-Day, the war in Europe ended with an Allied victory on May 8, 1945.

On that ominous day, President Franklin Roosevelt had asked the American people to join him in prayer.  He concluded: 

“Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice...I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength…and, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee…With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy…And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.”