For Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Today is a day to respectfully remember the service of those who were in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  The harbor is a peaceful setting now, but 67 years ago today, it was attacked and 2,400 people died. 

I find survivor’s stories to be extremely interesting, though I can’t help but feel pain when I read them.  In my local paper today, there’s an article on John Pollock who was a 21-year old seaman assigned to the USS Whitney.  He’s 88 now, and has only just finally described what he experienced.  He didn’t even tell his late wife who he was married to for 63 years.  Here’s the opening excerpt from the article.  It’s a good read.

John N. Pollok was out on deck that morning. It was right after breakfast, and he wanted a breath of air before going on watch down in the hot engine room.

Then he saw the planes coming in. When a machine-gun round hit the deck right in front of him, he knew Pearl Harbor was under attack.

Read the rest of the article.