By Margarita Muñoz Salazar

On December 7th, our Japanese Plus program got to go to the Navy Yard in southeast DC to participate in a special event commemorating the lives lost when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. We were invited to take part in a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Program there by the National Museum of the US Navy. On behalf of our whole group, we want to express appreciation to Education Director Paul Perry and the others at the museum for inviting us and for being such great hosts.

Days before the event, thanks to a visit from Paul to our class, we got the opportunity to create our own wreaths that would be put on display. Wreath making was fun as we all got to show off our artistic and creative skills. Not only that but it gave us a chance to reflect on why people should commemorate the loss of life at Pearl Harbor, and how to include those thoughts on our design. 

On top of making the wreaths we had to write a statement on why we believe it’s important to commemorate the lives lost, both Americans and Japanese. Coming up with the statement required me to reflect on the war’s involvement in history and how it affected people at the time. I was able to reflect on the consequences of war and the importance of avoiding similar tragedies. 

“Remembering both American and Japanese-American lives lost during Pearl Harbor is important in acknowledging the complexities of history. It recognizes the significance of respect and compassion among diverse communities while accepting the pain and losses suffered by people on both sides of the conflict.”

The Navy Yard itself is magnificent; it is as if I was walking into a history book. All the artifacts and ship models were so remarkable. It was as if I was learning about American history all over again. My personal favorite exhibit was the life sized version of the inside of a wooden boat. Being able to see a life sized cannon is not something very common. I recommend that people go see the museum themselves.