Redstate

By jannelsen Posted in History — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

The crowd was small today at the Navy Memorial in Washington as the public and the military gathered to honor those who fell at Pearl Harbor and all the sea battles of World War II. But the images were both powerful and solemn.

Remember Pearl Harbor!

Few in the crowd of 100 or so seemed to have come for the 1 p.m. memorial ceremonial and wreath laying; most, one assumes, had passed by during their lunch hour.

But there were obvious and proud exceptions. I wound up next to two women in their early 30s, one sheparding a 4-year-old boy proudly wearing a plastic, green combat helmet.

Nearby stood an older couple, in their late 60s, I suppose, he with his naval cap and disciplined stance. The man's glasses were thick, colored; he carried a white cane. Despite his eyesight, he knew when to salute the flag as the honor guard brought forth the colors.

I followed his lead.

The most powerful moment comes, of course, at the heart of the observances, when the men of the Navy lay the ceremonial wreath honoring those lost in war. They bear it to the base of the statue of the Lone Sailor. The honor guard presents the wreath, they lower the Navy flag.

All branches of the military are accomplished in ceremony, I must say (admitting the obvious). The music, the marching, the presentation of arms ... all make one respect so much the discipline that, in the end, leads to successes in battle.

And comfort and honor in loss.

During the ceremony, in addition to pondering those who died at the hand of such perfidy as the Japanese attack, I also observed a professional photographer at work.

He quickly saw the same images as I, plus so many more, for example, one that could only be captured by kneeling on the damp marble to shoot a photo of the sailors from their spats on up. Later, I spotted him interviewing his numerous subjects, politely seeking background information.

Talent used for good purpose.

The Navy Memorial deserves more attention than it receives. Although severe at first glance, it is really quite rich in symbolism. And, thank goodness, the designers did not sink it into the ground, the current craze in monument architecture.

(No offense intended.)

The memorial really exists as a plaza, circled by five masts, located north across Pennsylvania Avenue from The National Archives.

I've walked by there, met people there, but never before had paid attention to the 26 bronze reliefs that form a hemispherical border on the south side of the memorial. The reliefs represent the various services, missions, and historical events of the Navy. Well done, all.

I made a particular point to journey to the 1 p.m. ceremony because I had just finished reading Harry's Turtledove's "Days of Infamy," an alternate history novel about Japan's conquest of Hawaii. Yes, perhaps one should apologize for letting such formulaic fiction remind one of the horrors of WWII in the Pacific Theater, and certainly, I'm less critical than Professor Reynolds at Instapundit.

But Turtledove brings back, in sharp relief, the recollections of the brutality that the Japanese practiced against those it subdued, both the native populations and our men and women in the military, indeed, the men and women of all our allied nations.

Imagine the Bataan Death March set in Hawaii. Turtledove did, and he helps us imagine, as well.

At the Naval Memorial, all in all, a 20-minute ceremony, modest yet stirring, simple yet strong.

And now I turn partisan, because I regard some moments of ceremony, honor and tribute as ill-suited for harsh, partisan attacks. My favorite politician in the world was a Marine, a mayor and state legislator, who had helped take Iwo Jima, Guam, etc. And I never heard him milk his heroism for political advantage.

Now consider Terry McAuliffe:

Washington, DC, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The remembrance of Japan's 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor took on partisan political spin Tuesday with a Democrat leader using it to attack House Republicans.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, in a special Pearl Harbor Day statement, said national unity 63 years ago enabled Americans to go forward and defeat the country's enemies, but the same kind of unity needed now was being undermined by Republican disagreements over provisions of the yet-to-be-voted on intelligence reform bill.

"While we as a nation are united in this fight, there are clearly deep divisions within the Republican Party, divisions that are impeding our fight against terrorism," he said.

"Moving forward, it is my sincere hope that the Republicans running Washington will stop playing their political games and start fighting for the American people, just as our honored veterans did 63 years ago."

To end on a note of tribute, not foul spin, let me offer this from The Associated Press's A-wire story:

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii Dec 7, 2004 — Tears ran down the wrinkled cheeks of 81-year-old Wayne Pease on Tuesday as he recalled the destruction he witnessed on Dec. 7, 1941.

"I had a bird's-eye view to watch five battleships go down," said Pease, who was an 18-year-old seaman aboard the USS Sicard destroyer when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Pease, of Fort Myers, Fla., was among the dwindling number of survivors who returned to the site of their most haunting memories to honor fallen comrades on the 63rd anniversary of the assault.

"On December the 6th, I was a boy," Pease said. "On December the 7th, I became a man, suddenly. I grew up in one day. I grew up in two hours you might say."

A man, who like so many others, helped save the United States.