Nikki Stratton didn’t realize what her grandfather had endured until her social studies teacher learned that he’d been aboard the Arizona when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The teacher had many questions, none of which his fourth-grade student was able to answer. So, Nikki went to the source and began to question her grandfather about what happened to him on that fateful day in December, way back in 1941. The answers were simply unbelievable.
Nikki’s curiosity never went away, and years later, Donald Stratton finally answered all of his granddaughter’s questions in a truly remarkable book called All the Gallant Men, which should be required reading for anyone determined to remember what happened on a day that will always live in infamy. And today, Nikki Stratton is the Sponsor of a nuclear-powered submarine that should be completed in 2028, called…the SSN Arizona.
Her story, and her grandfather’s legacy, are worth your time, especially in early December. Listen to the whole thing here. A short clip is attached.
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