Pearl Harbor Tribute

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=95 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Vrinda" ><B>the</B><I><B><U>right</U></B></I><B>slant.com</B></FONT><B>.......... </B><B>never afraid to be </B><I><B><U>right</U></B></I><B>!</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Memorial Day Tribute"><U>Memorial Day Tribute</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Independence Day"><U>Independence Day</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Something for PETA!"><U>Something for PETA!</U></A>   |   <B>Pearl Harbor Tribute</B>   |   <A HREF="id101.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Merry Christmas to All..."><U>A Merry Christmas to All...</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id168.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Real Story of Christmas"><U>The Real Story of Christmas</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id169.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thanks Carol, but No Thanks"><U>Thanks Carol, but No Thanks</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id192.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Easter Story"><U>Easter Story</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Readers Voice"><U>Reader's Voice</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="An Election Day Message"><U>An Election Day Message</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id107.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bruce Coslet Award"><U>Bruce Coslet Award</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id108.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leeman Bennett Award"><U>Leeman Bennett Award</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=190 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Back to...</div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U>therightslant.com</U></A></div> <div> Home Page</div> <bR> <div> Back to...</div> <div> <A HREF="index_author_s_notes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="therightslant.com"><U>Author's Notes</U></A> </div> <bR> <div>   Before leaving, be sure to see the picture at the bottom of the poem. It was taken during the raid at Hickam Field. Mr. Rudder's electrical truck can be seen at the base of the flag pole, where he had been working to repair communication lines severed by the bomb blast indicated by the crater in front of the pole. </div> <div>    Notice the shredded, but still flying, flag. According to Mr. Rudder's account that flag had been hit by machine gun fire from Japanese planes.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=385 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><U>Pearl Harbor Tribute</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>December 7, 2003, 7:55 AM </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >(time first posted to this site)</FONT></div> <bR> <div>      Mr. Bill Rudder of Gastonia, NC, who was at Hickam Field, Hawaii when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor, gave this verse to me. It was penned by a survivor of the attack and sums up the mood of those at the scene. They may have lost that battle but the spirit of our young men was anything but defeated.</div> <div>      Here's to those who awoke that Sunday morning to find themselves at war. This is especially for the memory of those who didn't survive, not only on that fateful day but to all who have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield in defense of our nation.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> To You Our Fallen</div> <bR> <div> The Barracks now are silent-</div> <div> Where once your laughter rang.</div> <div> The steel guitar is broken-</div> <div> Where around your bunks we sang.</div> <div> As the stars give way to morning-</div> <div> In Oahu's' cloud swept sky,</div> <div> Old Glory's proudly waving there-</div> <div> Seeped in heroes crimson dye!</div> <bR> <div> Can you hear us, there in heaven-</div> <div> As the Dawn Patrol takes flight?</div> <div> On slivery wings your memory soars-</div> <div> In Holy Freedoms fight!</div> <div> The Kona wind blows softly now, </div> <div> The Palm trees whisper low-</div> <div> But all America will remember,</div> <div> Whence came this Dastards blow!</div> <bR> <div> Let the Nipponese remember this,</div> <div> As they cringe beneath the sky-</div> <div> At Hickam's' flaming vengeance,</div> <div> For You, the first to die!</div> <bR> <div>                Joe Brimm (1942)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0fb0dac0.png" border=0 width="525" height="428" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Notice the tattered flag. By Mr. Rudder's account it had received direct hits from a Japanese fighter's guns.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id100_m.htm" TITLE="Pearl Harbor Tribute"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>