A Tribute to All of of Brave Service personnel and the Arizona

Tonight I enjoyed the priviledge of putting my children to sleep in a peaceful country.  Most of the world doesn't have that simple pleasure.  I am so very thankful for our current and past service personnel who sleep in sand and amongst dangers that we can only imagine to protect us and give us an amazing way of life.  December 7th is the anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.  Thank you to all who have served.  Thank you to all who continue to endure hardships so that our children can believe in reindeers, elves and the possibility of peace on earth.

This link is a picture slide show of the life of the USS Arizona (1915 – 1941), a massive battleship built by the US Navy and subsequently sunk by the Japanese during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is my intention to honor those who served or who have loved ones who served. I collected the photographs from various sources on the internet, I am unaware if any are copyrighted. If so, please let me know and I will remove them. I apologize that many seem to move too fast, it is hard to get all the great photographs to fit in so some seem rushed.

The Arizona has a rich history in both wartimes and peace, and I wanted to capture that in song. “The Ballad of the USS Arizona” is an original composition performed by my band, Marshall Catch. It is written from the perspective of the ship herself, as opposed to the soldiers or myself.
It details her birth in Brooklyn, New York, her life during and after World War I, and her death and subsequent designation as a National Monument and Graveyard in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Marshall Catch is Luke Lautaret – Vocals & Guitars, Aidan Foshay – Bass, Aaron Danreuther – Harmony Vocals & Guitars, George Kimerly – Drums & Percussion, Jared Denney – Keyboards & Harmony Vocals. My grandfather, Gene Smith, played the fiddle on this track.

We will be releasing a single of this song, featuring the acoustic version and a full-band version, on our website soon. Please visit www.marshallcatch.com for information or if you would like a copy