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A forgotten day, Pearl Harbor Day & USS Oklahoma BB-37
No real mention of "A Day in Infamy" anywhere ?
~ Dec. 7, 1941 - Dec 7, 2007 By AUDREY McAVOY PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — A few dozen graying Pearl Harbor survivors observed a moment of silence on Friday in honor of their comrades who perished in the Japanese bombing of Oahu 66 years ago. Veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships. "We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the attacks, including some 900 still entombed in the Arizona. Hawaii Air National Guard helicopters flew over the harbor in "missing man" formation in honor of those lost. B-2 stealth bombers currently deployed to Guam from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri performed an additional flyby. The USS Oklahoma BB-37, finally received a dedication memorial. The battleship was the only of the nine bombed 66 years ago that didn't have it's own memorial, it lost 429 sailors and Marines — more than any battleship in the harbor except the Arizona. "We finally got a memorial. I think it's about time. I think it's about time these guys be remembered in a halfway decent way," said Richard Artley, one of the survivors. The memorial includes 429 white marble plaques, each with the name of a fallen soldier, surrounded by black granite panels etched with a silhouette of the battleship and notable quotes from World War II-era figures that were selected by some of the survivors. http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MoreImages5/USS_Oklahoma_aft.jpg http://neatorama.cachefly.net/images...d-oklahoma.jpg http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/i...000/g32453.jpg http://www.homeofheroes.com/pearlhar...ma_salvage.jpg http://www.hawaii.gov/gov/news/enews...USS-OK-200.jpg http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/da...M152896126.GIF http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/da...M152897126.GIF http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/da...260344V5_b.jpg Survivors, 2007 http://www.geocities.com/bb37usa/shi...klahoma104.jpg This memorial sits in Oklahoma City as none was erected in Pearl Harbor until this year .. 2007 http://starbulletin.com/2006/12/07/news/art3x.jpg |
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