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Posted by Paul Cook in Kempner, Texas [76.0.107.207] on Friday, December 07, 2012 at 14:26:05 :
In Reply to: Pearl Harbor, 71 years ago today posted by Paul(in NY) [12.64.128.79] on Friday, December 07, 2012 at 08:41:06 :
That was 20 days before my 4th birthday. On my 29th birthday, I was is the US Army and was working at Ford Island. I commuted by Navy ferry and passed the Arizona Memorial every day.
To get to my place of duty, I also had to drive past the Utah. Her partially submerged hulk still remains, rusting, at berth F-11, Ford Island, with 54 men still entombed inside. In 1972, a memorial in honor of the crew of Utah was dedicated on the northwest shore of Ford Island, adjacent to the ship's wreck. Access to the memorial is restricted to military personnel. Members of the public must be sponsored and accompanied by an authorized person to visit.
Now, instead of the ferry, there's a bridge to Ford Island. I doubt that those who use the bridge have the same feelings I experienced every day on my way to work.