By Margaret Padilla
Professional Writing for New Media Student
Grand Canyon University
The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 happened 84 years ago. Now there remain very few who lived through it or even remember it. Even when I look on my calendar there is no reminder of what December 7 is.
Why have we let this day slip our minds about an event that was nearly as devastating as 9/11? Thousands of sailors were lost to their families, and to this day even have never been recovered. It launched the U.S. into WWII combat, which only ended after some the cruelest and costliest battles were won on Japanese soil. Many may be content to forget Pearl Harbor, but I was honored to be part of a ceremony that honored it.
There’s something about watching veterans come together, both young and old, newly recruited or long retired, and seeing them unite once again under the same banner. Even if they never experienced Pearl Harbor themselves, they understand the cost of serving, and it unites them more than anything else.
This year’s Pearl Harbor Commemoration, hosted by Honoring America’s Veterans in the Wesley Bolin Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona, was a beautiful and touching ceremony that brought together moments from our nation’s past while subtly pointing us toward our future.
Keynote speaker, Wanda Sartain, gave a powerful speech honoring the nearly 2,000 that were killed aboard the USS Arizona, as well as recounting the other tragedies that happened that morning.
And to bring it all together, we were honored to have the Musical Theater of Anthem Outreach Group to perform the National Anthem, the Armed Forces Service Medley, and narrate two letters, one from a survivor of Pearl Harbor, and another from a family member of one of the deceased soldiers.
And we cannot forget Tortilla, the 38-year-old cockatoo and Lucifer, the twelve-week-old puppy, who also honored us with their attendance and brought a smile to everyone’s faces.
I cannot speak for everyone, but I personally learned a lot from this event, not just about Pearl Harbor, but about the armed services in general, and it has made me more appreciative and grateful for the many who have sacrificed themselves in the defense of this country.