It was actually Seventy for me. It was 70 years after those horrible events that I was able to travel and see the memorial. My grandfather fought for America's freedom - I have his medals framed where I can see them every day, along with another shadow box with things like the "censor approved" anniversary postcard he sent to my grandmother from "abroad", his dog tag (and hers) as well as some of the family ration cards.
Indications are, from fact and some of his statements, that he was one of the first paratroopers into the European front. When he came home, even though the family vacation was 1200+ miles each year, he refused to fly. He gently refused to eat things out of cans. Sometimes, he would just sit under the big tree they planted at the house right after my grandparents were married.
Today - 74 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor - it is especially important to remember the sacrifices others have made to keep us safe. In these tumultuous times, keep your families close to your heart; enjoy your time and make happy memories. It is difficult to remember unpleasant things, but it is the only way we learn lest history repeats itself (in actions as well as responses).
According to officials at the Pearl Harbor Museum, this was the first year that there were no Pearl Harbor survivors to attend a ceremony.
Though time has passed, remember what others have given so that you may have so much. Anniversaries come and go, happy and sad - remember what they mean as it's not the things that count, but how events impact our lives.
