December 7th -- A Sailor's Day to Reflect

Every year on December 7th, I take some time to reflect on my service in the Navy. I think about the lifelong friends made heading into harm's way. I think about the countless hours spent on watch with nothing happening. I think about what it must feel like to have been stationed in Hawaii 74 years ago, standing watch with one or two shipmates, in a time before radios and cell phones to communicate. I think about the thought processes they must have gone through as they saw the planes on the horizon and the explosions start. I think about the sacrifices made by military families of all generations. Hard to believe that there are so few survivors of the Pearl Harbor attacks left with us today. In a few years, their stories will be lost to the history books.

I wouldn't be the man I am today without the men and women in the US Navy. I hope everyone can spend a moment today reflecting.