December 7 & The USS Arizona Memorial...

 ...located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the Attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese imperial forces and commemorates the events of that day. The memorial, dedicated in 1962 and visited by more than one million people annually, spans the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

Contrary to popular belief, the USS Arizona is no longer in commission. She is, however, an active U.S. military cemetery. As a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the United States flag flies from the flagpole, which was once attached to the severed mainmast of the sunken battleship. The flag pole is now attached to the side of the memorial. The USS Arizona Memorial has come to commemorate all military personnel killed in the Pearl Harbor attack.

 
There are three main parts to the national memorial: entry, assembly room, and shrine. The central assembly room features seven large open windows on either wall and ceiling, to commemorate the date of the attack. The total number of windows is 21, symbolically representing a 21 gun salute or 21 Marines standing at eternal parade rest over the tomb of the fallen. To this day, oil can still be seen rising from the wreckage to the surface of the water. The oil seeping is sometimes referred to as "the tears of the Arizona" or "black tears." It also contains an opening in the floor overlooking the sunken decks. It is from this opening that visitors come to pay their respects by tossing flowers in honor of the fallen sailors. Sailors and Marines who were assigned to the Arizona at any time during its service history are permitted to have their ashes scattered in the waters above the memorial. Those who were actually aboard the Arizona on December 7, 1941, and survived the attack, are permitted to have their ashes entombed within the remains of the ship itself.

Every United States Navy vessel entering Pearl Harbor participates in the tradition of "manning the rails". Personnel serving on these ships stand at attention at the ship's guard rails and salute the USS Arizona Memorial in solemn fashion as their ship slowly glides into port.  

"To the Memory of the Gallant Men Here Entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941, on the U.S.S. Arizona"

You can access a complete listing of the casualties as a result of the 7 December 1941 attacks by visiting my 2008 Pearl Harbor Day post. 

Comments

[Steve Broe]

My dad was 15 when the US was attacked in Pearl Harbor. He entered the US Navy upon his 17th birthday, never graduating from high school. He served in the Pacific fleet under Admiral Nimitz' command as a radio specialist.

Thanks for this memory, Tim.

[Steve Warren]

I had the Honor To Re Enlist aboard the Arizona Memorial and Pay Homage to those That Gave their all. It's indeed Sad that So many Hate groups Spit On the Heritage That Gives them that right