Today We Are Tourists

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Once again your intrepid travelors ventured into paradise. Today, however, we took a step back in time, to the days when Hawaii, just a Territory, was a lazy island chain where the United States manned the outposts of freedom against Japanese aggression. Reach back into the mists of history and imagine Pearl Harbor, Battleship Row, the military raising the flag at 0800 hours sharp, bands playing the Star Spangled Banner, a Sunday morning dawning bright and clear - all is well. Then, suddenly, the sounds of alien aircraft overhead, bombs exploding on the pride of the Navy and machine gun fire breaking the morning silence. Ships explode, sailors man deck guns to shoot down planes displaying the Rising Sun or "meatball" symbol, men dying. Then a mighty explosion, fireball and billowing clouds of black smoke as the battleship USS Arizona and over 1100 of its crew give their last full measure of devotion for their country. It is December 7, 1941. As a veteran, I have always wanted to visit the scene of that fateful day that will "live in infany" and see where the "greatest generation" started their long trek into history. Yes, dear friends, Vanda and I spent some time with the ghosts of the USS Arizona at their memorial. It was everything I had hoped for and more. The memorial spans a portion of the ship, roughly in the middle. It gives one pause to reflect on what happened then, and to a certain extent, what happened on September 11, 2001. We picked up a tour launch near Contemplation Circle and were motored to the Memorial. It was grand. The section with the names of all of those that perished was a solemn spot in the midst of the rest of the tourist activity. Interestingly enough, you heard very little loud talking; most people seemed to prefer hushed tones. I likened the area with the names to the Vietnam Memorial, though I did not feel the emotional tug that I do everytime I visit the Vietnam Memorial. Those who lived through the destruction of the Arizona have not been forgotten - as they die, their names are being added to a section especially for them. The launch took us back after about 30 minutes on the Memorial. Total time of the tour was one hour. The National Park Service has done a great job of ensuring that the experience is wonderful; only one launch load (about 100-125 people) was dropped off at the memorial at a time.

Upon returning to shore, Vanda and I splurged and had an ice cream cone and then were off, switching from Tourists to Shoppers. Vanda will now pick up the narrative, but on a separate blog.

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Comments

[Ann]

Once again, Rob, you have a wonderful way with words -- when reading this I felt like I was there with you. The mast and bell of the USS WV is at WVU and I used to pass it every day. Maybe one of these days I'll see the rest of the story myself.