Story by
Karen S. Spangler
Managing Editor

Here at Pearl Harbor – steeped in history – there are constant reminders of the role that the base has played in the history of the Navy and the world.

Strafing marks from the Japanese zeroes that attacked on Dec. 7, 1941 are still visible on the runway and along the water on Ford Island. The rusting carcass of the USS Utah juts out of the water along the Ford Island coastline.

Looking across the harbor from various vantage points – such as Ford Island and Hospital Point – the Arizona Memorial stands as a tribute to the once mighty battleship that rests in the ocean beneath. Moored nearby, Battleship Missouri Memorial is a reminder of the signing of the surrender documents, marking the end of World War II.

Everywhere on Naval Station Pearl Harbor, there are buildings and places of historical significance. In fact, the whole of Pearl Harbor Naval Base is a National Historic Landmark.

Throughout the base and nearby Ford Island, there are memorials to the many whose lives were lost during the attack.

Thousands of visitors come to Hawaii every year - from the mainland and countries around the world - to see the Arizona Memorial and the naval installation that played such a vital part in our nation's history.

The base is constantly visited by Department of Defense officials, local and world dignitaries, celebrities, and, most importantly, the survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and their families.

So it seems irreverent that scattered among the memorials, the historical landmarks and the memories are bits and pieces of litter and debris that have been carelessly tossed aside by those who have no respect for what Pearl Harbor represents.

Remember the television commercial that aired a few years ago – showing a Native American as he walked across America. He shed tears as he found deposits of trash and litter everywhere he went. He cried at the sad state of our country – turned into a giant receptacle for all types of garbage.

To me, it's despicable that litter and trash are left anywhere – spoiling the natural beauty of the places where we live, injuring and killing wildlife, and costing thousands of taxpayer dollars in cleanup efforts. But here at Pearl Harbor, a place of great sacrifice by so many, it is even more pathetic.

As a child, I was taught by my mother to pick up after myself – and that lesson has carried over into my adult life. But I guess that some people never learned such lessons. Or maybe they are just too lazy to properly dispose of their fast food trash, their empty beer bottles and soda cans, and, yuk, even soiled diapers in the proper places – instead of throwing it in parking lots, along the streets and in scenic areas.

If you have trash and there isn't a nearby trash receptacle, put it in your car and throw it away when you arrive at home or at your office. That doesn't require a lot of time or effort.

It is truly heartwarming to see that most people do the right thing and that many pitch in to 'keep it clean and keep it green!'

Please have consideration for the contributions of Pearl Harbor – for its rich history and importance - and for the many who made the ultimate sacrifice here. Please don't trash history.

Have a fine Navy day!