Some years ago Tom Brokaw was a graduation speaker at Northwestern. Prior to his 2004 address he had published his book that made famous the reference to "The Greatest Generation" to describe those who brought peace to the world through their efforts in winning World War II and then going on to contribute to the country to which they returned and for which we are all beneficiaries. He challenged the Northwestern graduates to emulate those of that "Greatest Generation."
The below pictured USS Missouri was the site of the signing of the document that ended World War II on September 2, 1945. Japanese officials boarded the ship as it was moored in Tokyo Harbor on that date.
Yesterday, September 2, 2020 the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joined by Hawaii's Governor David Ige, Admiral Davidson and a number of World War II veterans joined together on the deck of USS Missouri, now moored in Pearl Harbor, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of that historic event. The ceremonies and speeches from each were accompanied by a flyover parade of World War II aircraft known as "The War Birds" that had gathered in Hawaii for the occasion.
In listening to those speeches repeated references were made to "The Greatest Generation."
Pictured below are my photos taken of the USS Missouri at the end of this past year.
Adding to the above, here is a unique photo I was able to take deep below deck within the USS Missouri on a special tour that allowed access to restricted portions of the USS Missouri. The location is designated "Broadway" and is a corridor that extends from one end of the ship to the other with an overhead rail from which munitions and other heavy items can be hung and transported.
The location as pictured was used as a set for the movie "Pearl Harbor" in a scene as the bombs fell on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reportedly the producers paid over a million dollars to have asbestos removed prior to the filming so they could shoot the scene. The same location was also used for an interior battleship scene in a recent Godzilla film.
And here is a screen shot of the above described scene shot in the "Broadway Corridor" of the USS Missouri from the movie "Pearl Harbor." (Note the included movie "blooper" that I identified after taking the still. screen shot. On the left is a piece of movie making equipment (likely a light box) that failed to get edited out.)
The below pictured USS Missouri was the site of the signing of the document that ended World War II on September 2, 1945. Japanese officials boarded the ship as it was moored in Tokyo Harbor on that date.
Yesterday, September 2, 2020 the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joined by Hawaii's Governor David Ige, Admiral Davidson and a number of World War II veterans joined together on the deck of USS Missouri, now moored in Pearl Harbor, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of that historic event. The ceremonies and speeches from each were accompanied by a flyover parade of World War II aircraft known as "The War Birds" that had gathered in Hawaii for the occasion.
In listening to those speeches repeated references were made to "The Greatest Generation."
Pictured below are my photos taken of the USS Missouri at the end of this past year.
Adding to the above, here is a unique photo I was able to take deep below deck within the USS Missouri on a special tour that allowed access to restricted portions of the USS Missouri. The location is designated "Broadway" and is a corridor that extends from one end of the ship to the other with an overhead rail from which munitions and other heavy items can be hung and transported.
The location as pictured was used as a set for the movie "Pearl Harbor" in a scene as the bombs fell on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Reportedly the producers paid over a million dollars to have asbestos removed prior to the filming so they could shoot the scene. The same location was also used for an interior battleship scene in a recent Godzilla film.
And here is a screen shot of the above described scene shot in the "Broadway Corridor" of the USS Missouri from the movie "Pearl Harbor." (Note the included movie "blooper" that I identified after taking the still. screen shot. On the left is a piece of movie making equipment (likely a light box) that failed to get edited out.)
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