A Date That Will Live In Infamy

I felt that we needed a history lesson today. So I thought I would remind you that today is the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. we all know that I love history and for some reason the period from 1900 to 1945 happens to be my favorite. Not sure why but it just is.

A visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu is a must if you ever make it to Hawaii. It is interesting and sobering. The motor launch ride out to the Arizona memorial is quiet, as it should be. I don't think that many of us remember that that simple white building that stretches across the remains of the battleship Arizona is, in essence, a grave stone for the 1177 men who died on that ship.

We have visited the memorial several times, the last on in 2005 and it was certainly memorable though not for the reasons that you might be expecting. The day was lovely (what day isn't lovely in Hawaii) and it was our first full day of vacation. So, we wanted to do what everyone does and go to the memorial. So we grabbed our purses etc. and drove the short distance.
We were surprised to be greeted by this sign when we got in line. Drat! So, we trugded back to the car and threw everything in the trunk. I was hurrying because the line was getting longer and longer to get in. Dan made me stop and take my wallet out of my back pack. More time wasted (good thing I listened to him).
The one sign that we didn't pay any attention to was the BIG one that you see when you open the trunk. You can see what's coming can't you. Too bad we didn't. So, we trudged back and got in line, did all the stuff you do at the memorial, had a great time.
Look at how happy we are, having spent the better part of the day soaking up history (OK, SOME of us enjoyed it and others just endured it, sheesh). And we stayed happy, walking and joking until we saw..............
Hey, is that glass on the ground beside the car?!? If you have ever been robbed then you will know that sinking feeling of violation. Sure enough, the window glass was smashed, the trunk had been popped open and everything was gone, except for one small camera bag that was missed in the grabbing. I didn't lose anything except a small back pack (thanks to my husband). Meg's favorite backpack was gone and unfortunately so was her wallet which contained a copy of our credit card. Beth lost the most, her favorite purse, her money and her very expensive TI83 calculator. Only my kids would bring their calculators on vacation. We quickly called the police (and also got the military police thrown in for good measure) and canceled the credit card. Thankfully the charges that had already been rung up on the card were minimal. We survived the incident and learned a valuable lesson. I can't think of what it was right now but I know that it was valuable.

So, now your assignment is to go and read something about Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. It will be interesting I promise you. And remember not to leave valuables in your car trunk.

Some further reading and viewing for you just in case you wanted to learn more. Yes, I have read the books and the films are my favorite.

At Dawn We Slept by Gordon W. Prange
Day of Infamy by Walter Lord
December 7, 1941 by Gordon W. Prange
Tora, Tora, Tora
In Harms Way (my personal favorite, who couldn't love John Wayne)