My Dad was one of the survivors, and obviously, I'm glad he did.
I was able to accompany him back to Pearl on the 65th anniversary, an event I'll never forget.
Many of the survivors had their children and grandchildren as a support group, since all the survivors were 80+ years old.
Getting to know the children of the survivors a recurring theme came up, none of the survivors spoke of their experiences of that day or following.
Until my Dad was in his 80s my Dad would just say he was there. During the 65th reunion, with his fellow survivors, a few of the stories would leak out.
On the Arizona Memorial, he showed where he and others did body recovery.
Our family discussed another trip to Pearl for the 75th anniversary, and we all agreed that Dad, at 95, was just too frail to make the trip.
At the 65th anniversary, over 2000 survivors made the trip, 10 years later, around 300.
The Greatest Generation is passing on......
A trip to Pearl, and the Arizona Memorial, should be on everyone's bucket list.