Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which is annually on December 7, commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, during World War II. Many American service men and women lost their lives or were injured on December 7, 1941. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day.

What do people do?

On the direction of the President, the flag of the United States of America should be displayed on the homes of Americans, the White House and all United States government buildings. The flag should be flown at half-mast to honor those who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Many associations, especially those linked with Pearl Harbor survivors or those who died from the attack, participate in special services to commemorate the event. Memorial services are held at venues such as the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Other activities include: wreath-laying ceremonies; keynote speeches by those associated with the event; luncheons; media stories on survivors’ recollections of the Pearl Harbor attack; and school activities to educate students about the attack on Pearl Harbor in relation to World War II history.

Public life

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not a federal holiday. Government offices, schools, businesses and other organizations do not close. Public transit systems run on their regular schedules. Some organizations may hold special events in memory of those killed or injured in Pearl Harbor.

Background

On Sunday morning, December 7, 1941, the American Army and Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The attack came as a surprise to the American Army and Navy and lead to great losses of life and equipment. More than 2000 American citizens were killed and more than 1000 were injured. The Americans also lost a large proportion of their battle ships and nearly 200 aircraft that were stationed in the Pacific region. More than 60 Japanese servicemen were killed, injured or captured. The Japanese Navy also lost five midget submarines and 29 aircraft.

The Japanese military had hoped that the attack on Pearl Harbor would prevent the United States of America from increasing her influence in the Pacific. However, the events in Pearl Harbor actually led to the escalation of World War II. The day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and so entered World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt in a speech to Congress stated that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was “a date which will live in infamy”. Shortly afterwards, Germany also declared war on the United States. In the months that followed the attack, the slogan “Remember Pearl Harbor” swept the United States and radio stations repeatedly played a song of the same name.

In 1991, which marked the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Congress established the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal. This is also known as the Pearl Harbor Survivor's Medal and can be awarded to any veteran of the United States military who were present in or around Pearl Harbor during the attack by the Japanese military. The medal can be awarded to civilians, who were killed or injured in the attack.

Symbols

Memorials have been built to remember or to symbolize the day. For example, the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor is a marble memorial built over the sunken USS Arizona, which was dedicated in 1962. The memorial remembers all military personnel who were killed in the Pearl Harbor attack. The memorial was designed by architect Alfred Preis, an Austrian-born resident who lived in Honolulu and was placed at a detainment camp after the Pearl Harbor attack as part of the internment policy of Japanese and German Americans at the time.

Another memorial that commemorates Pearl Harbor Day is the USS Utah, a battleship that was attacked and sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A memorial to honor the crew of the USS Utah was dedicated on the northwest shore of Ford Island, near the ship's wreck, in 1972. The ship was added to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It is also Utah’s official state ship. Memorabilia, books, and movies about the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 have also been made available to the public over the years.

 

A Thanksgiving Centerpiece for my Mom

Hello Everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. We had a wonderful day filled with cooking, eating, watching football and relaxing.

Today, I put a centerpiece together for my Mom. She found the galvanized bucket, I added some of the sprays I already had and I also picked up some new ones this year. I also hot glued this beautiful ribbon I picked up onto the bucket.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

All my best,

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you will all have a wonderful day spending time with family and friends, eating delicious foods and scrumptious desserts. I know we will and we are really looking forward to it. I will be missing my family and friends up North and will be wishing that I could be spending today with them.

I am so thankful for my husband who makes me proud of the man and Army Officer that he is. He is supportive, romantic, giving, thoughtful, makes me a better person, loves me unconditionally and always makes me laugh.

I also wish all of our troops serving our Country and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for keeping Americans and our country safe. Thank you to the Military families who stand by their side and support what they do.


I am thankful that my Mom is down here celebrating with us again this year. She has taught me so much about being the woman I am today, about life, love and happiness. More importantly, to wait for the right man to come along, how to be a good wife, daughter, sibling and friend. Thank you for being in my life! I am also very thankful to have a wonderful sister and brother. I just so love and treasure you both. I am thankful for our nephews G and M...both a gift. Thank you for being the sweet, loving boys that you are and always putting smiles on our faces. We love you both very much.


Also, thank you to all my blogging friends out there who have been supportive since I started blogging last October. You have all been so kind with your encouraging and funny comments and I have really enjoyed reading your blogs and being part of your lives. You have definitely made it easy for me to enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Recycled Refashion Tutorial...my first!!

Hello Everyone,

I recently took a class called Recycled Refashion. Sue (my instructor) taught me how to take a pair of jeans and turn it into a skirt. Here is my first tutorial of how I learned how to accomplish this.

1. Take a pair of jeans and cut the upper part off. Don't throw away the legs, you will be using those shortly.

2. I removed the flap over the button-fly, so, it would show the buttons and add a decorative touch.


3. I opened up the seams on both legs and the opened the center seam. Open up above the curve of the seam so it will lay flat when you go to pin.

4. I opened up one of legs for the front opening and the the other leg for the back opening of skirt. I lined up the center seams and pinned. I used a jean needle and a straight stitch as a baste to keep it in place.

5. Then, I sewed using a twin jean needle and jean thread to get the same "seam" look. I had a difficult time with the jean thread, but, once I got the hang of it...majority of my seams were straight LOL. With a few washes the bottom of the skirt will get that "fringed" look.

6. Here is the finished skirt. I kept the back a little bit longer than the front, so, it would be balanced when worn.

I am also taking a skirt that has an adorable bottom and attaching it to the top half of another pair of jeans I have (pictures soon to follow).

Have a wonderful evening and weekend.

Veteran's Day

Veterans Day gives Americans the opportunity to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans. An official wreath-laying ceremony is held each Veterans Day at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, while parades and other celebrations are held in states around the country. Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans--living or dead--but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

A recognized symbol of Veteran's Day is the red corn poppy  which is officially named Papaver rhoeas. Known by one of the most famous poems in World War I "In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow, among the crosses row on row".  This flower grows on the battlefields of Europe. In World War I, soldiers who were returning home, reported seeing battlefields covered with red poppies blooming.  In their hearts, the red poppies symbolized the blood shed  and sacrifice made by the fallen soldiers.  After the war, groups began making red paper poppies as a way to raise money for the wounded veteran's and selling them on Armistice Day (Veteran's Day) on November 11th.  The red poppy remains a symbol of solidarity for veteran's.

The adoption of the poppy flower as a symbol of remembrance was Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a Canadian medical officer during the war. In 1915, he wrote "In Flanders Fields," a poem published in "Punch" magazine that begins:

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Because Flanders had heavy fighting during the war, the flourishing poppies symbolized the blood that was shed. Today, artificial paper poppies are sold by veteran organizations and worn on clothing. 

Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

If you know a Veteran or someone currently serving in our country's uniform, take the time today to thank them for their service and sacrifices. Also, thank their Spouses and Families to for their service and sacrifice. 

On a personal note, thank you E for keeping us safe, serving our country and keeping us out of harm's way!! I love you!!

Thank you Veteran's!!