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Posted by: Cleo_Serapis May 2 04, 12:37

 

Tranquility

When you arrive in the Hawaiian Islands,
this serene, beautiful place overwhelms you
the cocoanut trees, the foaming surf
leisurely lifestyle, colorful flora,

but
there is one place that is above all  others,
Pearl Harbor
there in eternal tranquility  lies the
USS ARIZONA
below the waters and now honored
with a befitting memorial,

to describe the area from where my ship berthed…
standing amidships and looking aft
was the broad channel  from the Pacific
that was the entrance  to the naval base

looking forward was the shipyard and all ship’s berths
directly across from our ship was Ford Island
and within that line of site is the ARIZONA
When I was there the memorial wasn’t built
only a wood platform with a flagpole

The ARIZONA is still in commission,
each morning and evening a launch would go
to the platform for morning reveille and
evening taps

speakers on the base would announce
“attention to colors”
traffic would halt
every sailor on shore would face toward the
ARIZONA

while they played the music and the colors were
run up or down the flagstaff
everyone saluted

the most outstanding tribute was when the
task forces were rotating,
from the Korean War

We could see the ships, steaming into port
first the destroyers, then cruisers,
battleships and finally the carriers
and as each ship approached
the USS ARIZONA

on the ship’s PA you would hear
“attention to starboard
Hand Salute”
all  sailors manning the rails would salute
and the quartermaster would slowly lower the flag
to half mast

Each and every ship would render honors
when the carriers came by
four thousand men on the flight deck
in unison  saluted

A fitting tribute that still goes on today
I haven’t been back  in over fifty years
but writing about it, puts me there again.
Aloha… Shipmates.

Posted by: Zeus² May 4 04, 17:38

Hi Lor,
thanks for the selection. The real honors go to those men, and happy that it was picked with Memorial Day this month.
Larry

Posted by: Aphrodite May 25 04, 20:13

Hello Larry~

Congratulations and thanks for presenting us all with an excellent write, as well as a touching tribute to so many!

This is such an evocative and thought provoking piece.    

Blessings in bunches~        
Lindi