Pearl Harbor

On the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor - Dec 7th, 1991 - I happened to be working as a musician on the (now defunct) American Hawaii Line "SS Constitution".

I was also filling in for the bandleader who was on an 8 week vacation.

So it was up to me to lead the band in a memorial service held out on deck.

I was a 24 year old from Kansas (though I had moved to NY by this time) trying to piece together the meaning of what I was experiencing.

The navy never lets commercial ships into Pearl Harbor, but on this day they allowed us to pass and we sailed right up to the Arizona Memorial.

You could see the interminable oil circle on the surface from the leaking behemoth underneath.

There were a number of veterans on board and there was a period of silence and a wreath laying ceremony right around that fateful 7:00am hour.


It was one of the heaviest things I've ever witnessed on or off ships, and certainly an incredible departure from the normal vibe on a cruise ship.


We played WWII era songs and the air was suffused with contemplation and the silence of grown men weeping at what was.


To be fortunate enough to be in THAT place at THAT time is something that has never left me.