Pearl Harbor Memorial
Greetings, all. And happy holidays! Gosh, it feels like it’s been such a long time since I last posted an update on everything. So much has been going on lately, What with all of the holiday celebrating and world events, past and present, it’s been a jam-packed few weeks. This girls needs a nap, y’all! 
So, did you do some shopping, the day after Thanksgiving, on Black Friday? I sure did. You know, the holiday decorations go up sooner and sooner every year, but there’s a different feel to it once Thanksgiving has passed. We see all kinds of decorative window displays and arrangements in a bevy of stores and advertisements. And it’s almost as if we start to see the garland and tinsel being strung shortly after Memorial Day. Before you know it, dressing up as Santa Claus will be the hot costume to wear on Halloween. Not me, though! I can’t quite fill that one out. Hopefully I never will. Maybe a cute little elf costume for me? Seriously, though, if I keep eating like the way I’ve been this holiday season, I’ll need to start working out like a reindeer pulling a sleigh! Ha-ha!!
All that aside, I noticed a couple things that gave me a warm feeling – a feeling beyond what the holiday’s bring – at every shopping center I visited. Many cars in the parking lots and ramps displayed patriotic support car magnets. There were all kinds of different ones: magnets shaped like ribbons to show support for out troops, ribbon magnets to recognize a POW/MIA soldier, and others that showed support causes like breast cancer.
Inside the shopping areas, where all the people were looking for the best shopping deals, it was almost as if I could identify each shopper with the cars I spotted in the parking lots. So many people wore awareness ribbon lapel pins on their jackets and sweaters that mirrored the magnets outside. Seeing all of the support for our ongoing causes, and the proud display of our patriotic red, white, and blue colors of our American flag, reminded me of an historical anniversary this December. It’s a date on the calendar that falls ahead of the holidays, and one that is not so joyous, but demands remembrance and observance: it’s the anniversary of the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor. That surprise military strike was the key event in 1941 that thrust the United States in to World War II.
Pearl Harbor Memorial Window
The intention of unexpected strike by the Japanese, which came in three waves, was to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The objectives were to prevent the United States from interfering with Japan’s plan to conquer the Dutch East Indies, and also to strike a blow at American morale. At the end of the fighting, 18 of the 99 ships in the U.S. Pacific fleet were damaged or destroyed, and nearly 3,700 American soldiers and civilians were injured or killed.
It’s believed by some that the United States engaged to fight in World War II because of the events at Pearl Harbor. While it propelled American participation with the Allies, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt already had intentions to end U.S. isolationism as the threat of conflict became unavoidable. The surprise attack on the morning of December 7, 1941 forced the hand of the United States, and what followed was one – if not the most – famous wartime quotes, as President Roosevelt declared December 7th as “a date which will live in infamy.”
Salvage of sunken war ships at Pearl Harbor continued for a year following the attack. The USS Arizona and USS Utah sustained too much damage and could not be salvaged. Both were stripped of their armaments and left at the bottom of the Harbor. Today, the site where the USS Arizona lies a Pearl Harbor visual memorial to the brave soldiers and civilians who fought and died that day.
Each year it’s important to remember those who fought during Pearl Harbor and World War II by observing the day and flying your American flag at half-staff on December 7th. I know my Grandpa has a few friends who perished during the war and each year he goes to where they were laid to rest toand put up a World War II grave marker and American cemetery flag along with adorning the area with fresh flowers. As a noble Veteran, my Grandpa has always loved his country and those who have fought for it, as do I. For I love the American flag and if we don’t remember those who fought to protect it, we’ll never understand the true glory of it’s beauty!
I feel my nap calling me!
Lexi
Posted by Lexi the Vexillologist 
