71 Years Ago

[Murph]

[Jeff L]

[Murph]

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/life-aftermath-of-pearl-harbor-slideshow/

[Darth Biscuit]

I follow the USS North Carolina on facebook... they posted this today.

USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship

“I’d like to turn back the clock now and tell you about the first time I ever saw the USS.NORTH CAROLINA. I was serving in the heavy cruiser PENSACOLA in the Pacific fleet. Morale in the Pacific fleet was just about at the lowest ebb that I think it was at any time during the war. We had, as you know, already lost the entire battleforce of the Pacific fleet to the Japanese on December 7th. In the months that followed, we lost a number of other ships, including two carriers. The Japanese kept coming back for more, they were advancing all the way across the Pacific. The few battle-scarred ships that were left with their exhausted crews were really hard pressed to hold the line. We desperately needed help, but the days and weeks and months went by and nothing ever seemed to come out to help. Finally came July 11th and one of the most memorable, one of the most stirring things that I have seen, occurred on that date at Pearl Harbor. I rememb

er that my ship was then moored with two other old rusty cruisers. We had just come in from sea. We were moored in what they then called the Cast Berths in Pearl Harbor.

Well, it was late afternoon when word came down from our signal bridge that something really interesting and something really big was standing in the channel from sea. All hands scrambled topside to see what the commotion was all about. I went to the signal bridge and we looked out across Ford Island toward the sea, toward the channel entrance. All we could see above the tops of the hangers and the palm trees was an immense tower foremast. I watched as this tower foremast moved slowly across from left to right and finally the great and the immense ship, the battleship NORTH CAROLINA suddenly came into view as she cleared the north side of Ford Island, and believe you me, it was just about the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life, and certainly in those circumstances one of the most thrilling and inspiring things I have ever seen.

[Anybodyhome]

I had the honor and privilege to re-enlist for my last few years before retiring on the Arizona Memorial in 1990. The ceremony is typically scheduled right before 8AM, which is morning colors. The color guard raises the colors (American Flag), leave it aloft for 1 minute and lower it. They give you the flag complete with a signed certificate stating the date and time the flag was flown over the Memorial.

No visitors are allowed on the Memorial until after 8AM, only military members, their famlies and invited guests. The Memorial is a very somber place, very quiet as you hear the water lapping the sides of the structure. Just looking at the wall covered in the engraved names of all the men who went down in the Arizona brought me to tears.

[Guest Tom Cat]

One of my instructors for navigation while I was in the Navy wrote this book - it is his first hand account of being aboard the USS Nevada on that day. He wouldnt say much about it but he would still get tears in his eyes when he was asked about it 40 years later.

[4Corners]

USA

BACK TO BACK WORLD WAR CHAMPS

[pstall]

watching Tora Tora Tora right now. wish i had this on the big screen

[4Corners]

well we showed those chinese people who is boss.

USA USA USA

[scpanther22]

While we're on the subject. Has anyone else seen the Olvier Stone documentary series on this? It airs on Showtime.

[Bronn]

false flag

[88 Bronco]

well we showed those chinese people who is boss.

USA USA USA

[Guest Tom Cat]

It was definately a different time - really compared to today a different world. I dont think this country could get it together enough these days to save the world from despots like we did 70 plus years ago. Those folks were a special breed coming out of the hard scrabble life of the depression.

[charlotte49er]

I took my Mom to Hawaii in 1993. She always wanted to go and could never get my Father to take her. (I'm glad i did, she passed away in 1994 a little over a year later.)

We had to wait for almost 2 hours, while Bill & Hill (Bill and HIllary Clinton) placed a giant wreath honoring the men who lost their life that day. The biggest thing that struck me was that there were more Japanese toursts at the memorial than Americans!

One of our tour group commented they they wondered if they were there to admire thair handiwork.

At the time I was heavily into paramilitary activities. (After Desert Storm and prior to Bosnia.) I remembered a t-shirt inthe back of SOF magazine.

"A-Bomb! Made in America by lazy workers, Tested in Japan!"

When we finally got to go out to the memorial. I asked the Park Ranger about requests to bury sailors who had served on the Arizon and aren't they allowed to be buried with their crew mates. Everyone on our tour group looked at me like I had 2 heads for asking that. He said they Park Rangers divers store them in the forward hull accessed through the #1 turret.

My Mom, who tought History, asked how I knew that. I told her. It was an episode of Magnum PI! (See what a mis-begotten youth watching TV will get you!)

God Bless all who serve or served!

Also God Bless Elvis Presley. If it weren't for him, the Arizona Memorial may have never been built! He did a concert while filming "Blue Hawaii". Donated all the money from the concert to help build the Memorial!