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To: ken5050

We visited there on the way back from Korea. When we, my 10 year old daughter and my 7 year old son went out to the Arizona it was the same and that was in 1987. Though my son did cause a bit of a stir, well sort of. He sat on the bench looking down at the Arizona and started crying. As he was crying he kept say "They have to get them out. They have to! Their Mothers need to see them and touch them again! They need to go Home!" Well, the two young Female Petty Officers that brought us over from the dock were right next to him and just a huggin-n-cryin-n-huggin-n-cryin-n.... right along with him. Well on the short trip back he stayed with them at the helm getting more huggin-n-squeezin-n-.... and evidently they'd somehow got the word to the others at the dock because he got swamped with more Female Petty Officers after we got off the boat for more huggin-n-squeezin-n-....

I think he had a good day.

We've been teasing him about it ever since. His young bride say he's not going anywhere near Pearl without her and she'll handle any huggin-n-squeezin-n-.... that's needed.


3 posted on 11/28/2004 6:48:02 AM PST by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)
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To: SandRat
I was 43 the first time I visited the Arizona Memorial. I also sat a cried - for quite a while. Not just for the men entombed there but for all of the men who sacrificed so much during WWII.

Interestingly, most of the survivors who die now request their ashes be entombed on the ship. It is sacred ground. Tell you son there is no shame in crying there - grown men do it everyday. I am also certain that every mother of a sailor, at rest there, is proud of her son and would not have it any other way.

12 posted on 11/28/2004 11:02:05 AM PST by mad_as_he$$ ("Sure is a nice day for making things right." Boss Spearman. NSDQ, De Opresso Libre)
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