The tragic attack on Pearl Harbor in the winter of 1941 was a heartbreaking event in the history of America. To most who lived during this trying time, it will go down as the day the nation stopped and to us not old enough to remember, we are reminded of the sacrifices made on that day with every glance of freedom we still see today. Wednesday marked the 70th anniversary of this devastating day where so many American Naval officers lost their lives. For seven men, this marked the final year of a seventy year tribute.
The U.S.S. Arizona was bombed on the morning of December 7th, 1941. At the time there was 1,400 crewmen on board. Of this 1,400, 1,177 of them lost their lives as the Arizona sunk to the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Yesterday, seven of her survivors gathered at the site of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, the exact spot where she remains beneath the now calm waters, to honor their fallen brothers and sisters. These seven men make up most of what is left of the U.S.S. Arizona Reunion Association, an organization created in 1976 for those who had survived that horrific attack. Seventy years later, they still remember and they traveled from all over the country to be with their fallen comrades for the last time. You see, after the year ends, the U.S.S. Arizona Reunion Association will disband.
Due to the age and dwendling number of it’s members, the association has decided to disband. Perhaps for the first time, we realize how long this momentous episode of American history has truly been. Since then, America has never been the same. In fact, that fated day changed the entire world since it is widely regarded as the powder keg that pushed the U.S. into World War II. Some argue that without the attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona, America might not have ever entered the war. No matter how you see it, such a price as the 2,402 Americans who gave their lives in the pursuit of duty and the protection of our nation will always be too high a price to pay. As the survivors of the U.S.S. Arizona gathered to honor their brothers and sisters, for them it is a price they still pay today.
As survivor Edward Wentzlaff recalled in an interview for Khon 2, a local Hawaiian network, most of what was lost was as good as family to him. “I spent three and a half years on-board ship, and I knew most, a good share of the crew. And I lost all of the best friends I ever had in my life,” said Wentzlaff, who also stated that he plans to be buried in the wreckage of the Arizona with his shipmates.
John Delmar Anderson, another U.S.S. Arizona survivor, told a riveting story of what he remember. “Said I’m not leaving, my brother is still on board. I’m going to find him. If we can find these people, I can find him. But I couldn’t find him in the fire and the explosions,” he said. Each of these men had similar experiences and real stories to tell about that day.
One can’t help but feel when these fearless soldiers have all gone, there will be no one left to tell these stories to the next generations, that they might understand the severity of the sacrifice on December 7th. Stories and tales that must be told and an event that should never be forgotten. It is always in these situations, when America is faced with incredible sorrow and loss, that we see what her colors are made from and how her people persevere.
Tyler Baker; OSM Writer
( Source : Khon2.com )
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