December 7, 1941. Sixty-six years ago today, the Japanese attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, bringing America into World War II.
While in high school, for an English class, we had an assignment that involved talking with someone who had been directly involved in an historical event. Somehow, I decided to write about the Japanese attack and found a man named Joe Hydrusko. Joe was at Pearl Harbor that morning and is credited with saving the lives of many men. He was near the USS Arizona when it went down. Hydrusko agreed to come and talk with my English class about his experiences. It was nice to see a roomful of high school students riveted.
In 1970, Joe Hydrusko came up with a plan to honor his fallen comrades. He began flying a vintage World War II plane past the Statue of Liberty, dropping roses to commemorate the event. Unfortunately, Joe died in the 1980s, while fueling his plane. Luckily, the tradition has survived him. This year, the event took place with several aircraft flying past the Statue of Liberty at 12:55pm, the exact time the attack took place in Hawaii. Sixty-six roses were dropped.
Take a minute. Say thanks for people like Joe. Remember.
2 comments:
P's grandfather was also there during the attack. He was on the USS Dale.
On a different note, Grandpa also helped supply the mission that went out looking for Amelia Earhart. He definitely had some good stories to tell.
The USS Oklahoma was also lost at Pearl Harbor alongside the Arizona. A memorial was finally dedicated to the Oklahoma on December 7, 2007 - sixty-six years after the attack.
dd
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