Opinion : Pearl Harbor memorial ceremony: Be there

I have to admit, that at the end of the very first Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School, I was disappointed.

Not in the event – it’s great.

I was disappointed in the attendance.

Before I could write anything about it – or even say anything – an old veteran spoke up.

“There should be a lot more people here,” he said. He used a few stronger words to make his point.

He was right.

And there were more people there the next year.

Whatever you have planned for Tuesday – and yes I know there are a few exception – nothing on your schedule is more important than being at the VSMS library (we now call them LMCs – Library Media Centers) at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

Mr. Vasquez and his students plan a simple but significant tribute to Pearl Harbor. Not the place, but the event that brought World War II to America.

Mr. Vasquez has worked hard to preserve the story of Pearl Harbor. He worked with the National Park Service to obtain a piece of the iron from the Arizona. His grandfather, a WWII Navy man, came home with a blanket from an American ship that had been sunk. That blanket is among the artifacts Mr. Vasquez will have on display.

Those who attend are likely to learn a few things about Pearl Harbor that they did not know before. But more important than teaching us new things, Mr. Vasquez is giving us an opportunity do to something that way too Americans do way too little: Remember.

So, this Tuesday, at noon. Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School. Be there. There’s no place more important to be.