A small tribute to 7 Dec., 1941 & the USS Arizona.
 

My wife gave me this flag which flew over the USS Arizona Memorial on my birthday, 7 October, 2001.

Most of you have seen this old Navy Colt which was one of the 100 issued to BB39 when she was commissioned in 1916.

I thought the two would be fitting together. I was 9 years old on 12-7-1941, and can clearly remember my father coming to the local football stadium, where me and some friends were playing and telling us about the attack. We couldn't fully understand the implications.

We understood much better when the telegrams started arriving later in the war.........

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John,

Absolutely outstanding... I'm not sure what else I can say. A fitting tribute, perhaps? But even then, that doesn't say enough...

My thanks for posting this...

I have gone to the memorial several times and it is a powerful place.

Your tribute is fitting and good too.

Thanks very much John. I am retired military..

I hope to visit the memorial next year for the first time. In 1974 I worked side-by-side with a fellow NCO who was just a couple of years older than me... One day at lunch the conversation turned to parents and I happened to mention by Dad's WW2 service. This caused others to speak about their own fathers, and when the question was posed about where our respective fathers were now, his response was that HIS dad was aboard the USS Arizona... Knowing what my father experienced during that trying time as an Infantryman... I can still feel the lump in my throat.

So many gave so much so that we might live in freedom... We lose about 1300 WW2 vets a day.

My prayers are with the men and women that protect this nation's freedom every day... and those that always have...Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

My aunt died five years ago. She never married. Her fiance is serving on Arizona.