Four Words In History That Changed Oahu

I have been having to catch up on my daily blog, as I had no Internet service for a few days. Back on-line, I am posting the days I have missed. After the long, but fantastic 16 hour tour to Big island, we decided to focus on a part of Oahu's history that is a painful part of the area. We booked a tour to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial that is built over top the ship that saw 1,177 lives perish instantly. Once departing from our bus, we were motioned inside for a presentation of what happened that terrible day, December 7, 1941 Being a Canadian historical writer, I am fascinated and yet still fear of history repeating itself regarding war. Years ago, I had the opportunity to interview a woman named Thea Scott. She had been interned as a prisoner of war in the Philippines and survived some of the worst conditions I have ever heard. Thea had saved many precious items from a period in her life where she struggled to remain alive. I held in my hands, the delicate rations book, detailing the meager food the prisoners were allowed to eat. She shared with me stories that were hard to comprehend about eating bugs, solely for the purpose of seeing another day. Thea handed me photographs and drawings from inside Santo Tomas University which was formerly used by the Japanese as an internment camp. She told me how even though they were treated uncivilized; people tried to live as normal lives as they could. They created a news magazine, got ready as if going to everyday jobs and played games to entertain themselves, when they were not forced to work enduring hours. I marvelled at how she focused on the positive side of life inside the camp; how she fell in love and the lifelong friends she had made. Thea ended our interview by saying these words that have stuck with me, You don't appreciate what you've got, until its taken forcefully away from you and you don't value the colors of your country's flag, until the day you see the enemies flag go down, and yours goes up...symbolizing freedom. Standing on the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor brought back a flood of memories she had shared with me, long ago. I looked at the endless names chiseled in the marble and reflected on all of the lives forever changed by a ruthless attack on those who never suspected anything. I was surprised to hear that on the early morning of December 7, 1941, four words would make their mark on history. When contacted by radio and asked about the planes headed their way to Oahu, one of the officers, mistaking them as a practice fleet remarked, Don't worry about it! Minutes later, they were under attack and the toll of lives lost would remain solidified to the roots of Oahu's tragic part of war events. An eerie legacy left behind is the colorful oil drops that seep upon the surface of the ocean; from the vast oil drums of the USS Arizona, when it sunk. It struck me deeply as I saw tropical fish swimming around the wreckage; that from something so horrible is infused in such brilliant colors. For me, this sombre pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor made me realize that as much as we are connected; the widespread conflict in our world, threatens to separate us daily. Lest We Forget.