There is a man and his family standing in line with us from Puerto Rico – he has come to pay homage to the US Navy men before him. He has traveled far and wide across This Great Nation and the world, with his daughter being born in a military hospital in Germany. His elderly father accompanies him. They speak in Spanish so that the people from The Old Country can understand, but the English spoken to me is fluent and courteous. I wonder, does it hurt him, a man who has made a career or serving his country, to hear someone make rude comments about speaking in Spanish and learning English? From someone, no doubt, who only speaks one language. Or has he heard it so often that he no longer even notices? It makes me mad. He has served in Korea, Viet Nam and in Peace Time. And he has come here, with his family, to honor The Dead. And still, he gets no respect because people cannot see beyond his color and his language.

There are old men with Navy caps on and young girls with pierced tongues. There are children too young to know where they are and grandparents who gaze over the waters and smell the smoke from the fires as they remember the day. A hush falls over the gathering as we debark in small groups and enter the memorial. Groups later in the day will not have the blessing of the peace of the early morning, and we walk quietly, speak with hushed voices. Some pray softly. Some place leis in front of the Wall of Names. Some stand back in the shadows, tears in their eyes. All around, the soft clicks and whirs of cameras can be heard as people quietly, respectfully take photos – photos to remind them, to help them keep this experience with them when they return to shore and continue their vacations.

Many blessings to our Service Men and Women who currently serve This Nation, both those in Harm's Way in the Middle East and those who serve in other ways and who are just as willing. And many blessings, too, to the families and children of these Service Men and Women, for they also serve.

For more information on the USS Arizona, visit the National Park Service website at http://www.nps.gov/usar.

USS Missouri

Although the majority who died were Navy men, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the Marines (yes, I know that the USMC is part of the Department of the Navy - but try and get one of them to admit it).

Flowers float on the oil-slicked waters Many people bring their leis and flowers to cast over the watery grave.
Still visible just above the water line pieces of the ship rust, slowly giving way to the elements.