A Day that will Live in Infamy" I, of course, was not born then, and my parents were still in their youth. The day, actually, didn't mean...anything to me, but the Submarine Base @ Pearl Harbor is right across from the Arizona Memorial (about a mile). We, on the sub, would always look at it and curse as we scrubbed the film of oil/seawater that collected at the water line on our boat.
It wasn't till I had Submarine Base Duty weekend and had to drive a group of Japanese Sailors for a tour around the base, that I realized how important that Memorial is to US. When we visited the Arizona, I watched as one of the Japanese sailors made a gesture with his hand like an airplane crashing, then an explosion, then pointing all around the harbor, as his fellow sailors chuckled quietly.
Well, payback is a Bitch ! Our next (unscheduled) stop was the Submarine Base Memorial, dedicated to the Submarine Fleet in the Pacific. Inside that leftover aircraft hanger, encircling the entire roof line 3 1/2 times are little Japanese Flags. When I pointed out to their interpretor that those 239 flags signified an aircraft, ship or transport SUNK by the Submarine Fleet during the war, those chuckling faces turned quite somber.
Today, We Honor the Brave Men and Women who Fought and Died to Secure the Rights we have Today. Anchors, Away!
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