Don’t forget the reason for the holiday weekend
Too often, in our rush to squeeze in summer activities this three day weekend, we forget the reason we are observing it.
Here we see the Essex-class attack carrier USS Bennington (CVA-20) as she passed Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor on 31 May 1958, Memorial Day.
Note Bennington’s airwing of FJ3 Fury, F2H Banshee, and F9F Cougar fighters, AD-6 Skyraider attack aircraft, and AJ2 Savage bombers. Her gig is racing to drop a wreath over Arizona’s deck. Official U.S. Navy Photograph. Catalog #: USN 1036055
Just under the surface to her port is the wreck of the Pennsylvania-class battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Memorial Day, 31 May 1958. Note the outline of Arizona‘s hull and the flow of oil from her fuel tanks.
Bennington‘s crew is in formation on the flight deck, spelling out a tribute to Arizona‘s crewmen who were lost in the 7 December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.