Pins and patriotic pride at Pearl Harbor

Wearing blue jean overalls and her hair up in a red and white polka-dotted handkerchief, Marni Brunanski was a spitting image of Rosie the Riveter.

Pinned on the front of her overalls, just above the red, white and blue sequin, were two photo buttons of handsome young servicemen.

"This is my father, he was a sailor," she said, pointing to the smiling young man in a white sailor cap. She pointed to the other photo. "And my father-in-law, Andrew Brunanski."

Marni said she never knew her father, but her late father-in-law "was a fantastic man" whose years in the Army during World War II rendered him handicapped.

“He had 17 surgeries from his injuries in the war,” she said. "He got hit on the beach."

Despite being physically crippled, Marni said her father-in-law was always very sweet.

"Everyone called him Mr. Sunshine," she said. "He always had wonderful smiles. Just a very pleasant man.”

Marni, a Blazen Diva, will proudly honor these men and all veterans when she joins more than 80 other Blazen Divaz and Dudez to represent Idaho in the 75th annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Waikiki on Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. 7.

"I’m really anxious for the trip. I’m really proud to be doing this," Marni said during a recent rehearsal. "It's a good feeling."

The Divaz found out in January 2015 they were selected to participate in the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, an honor they cherish.

“Being as patriotic as we are, it’s the real deal," said Blazen Divaz, LLC. president and Vietnam veteran John Parmann.

The Blazen Divaz are one of only about 100 groups selected for the parade, with actor and veteran advocate Gary Sinise serving as the grand marshal and several Pearl Harbor survivors as honorary grand marshals.

“The neat thing about the Dudez coming with us is so many of them are retired military," said Diva Rosemary Schadel. "It’s a big honor for them and us, and it’s a way for us to honor them."

Most Divaz have classy, 1940s-style Sunday dresses that they'll wear as they twirl, march, dance and salute. A handful, like Marni, will dawn the Rosie attire, carry flags and engage the audience. Their performance outfits will also be decorated with LED light strips, which will shine brightly in the Hawaiian dusk.

And each Diva will wear at least one photo button to honor their loved ones or the loved ones of others who want their veterans represented in the historic place that changed America's path into WWII and on the anniversary of that infamous day.

"There are lots of unique stories with every picture button,” Parmann said. "They're all being represented.

"As soon as we got this letter (from the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade Committee), it just blossomed. People are coming out of the woodwork with their stories. We're the purveyors of their stories back to Pearl Harbor."

Parmann said he couldn't be prouder that the Divaz will serve as Idaho's ambassadors. In the letter from the parade committee, chair Earl T. Hurrey wrote that Idaho's role in the parade has a deeper significance, as the Divaz are not only representing the state, but the veterans of the U.S.S. Idaho battleship.

"Currently, there's been a lot of commentary about respect for the national anthem, respect for American in general," Parmann said. "I think we rise above all that when we get together as an organization. Our roots really are deep in the values we were brought up in."