We started our day at 8:30 with a quick breakfast and headed to Pearl Harbor. HINT FOR ANYONE GOING THERE – NO bags are allowed – that includes purses, camera bags etc. They do have “bag storage” available but we “stored” in the trunk of the car. Our ticket for the USS Arizona was for the 11:20 boat so we had time to view the new monuments they have installed, look at the anchor from the USS Arizona and see the 30 minute film about what happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. When we got the area where we were to gather for the trip out to the Arizona Memorial we had a talk from the Park Ranger about some of the details of memorial.
We then boarded a Navy boat that took our group to the memorial. It is just breathtaking – not just in beauty but in solemn awe it inspires. You can see the ship from the memorial and you know that approximately 1200 men died on that ship in the attack. There is a huge wall in the memorial that has the names of all of the causalities of that morning. The memorial also has an area with the flags of the Services and the ships that sank. Tom was in the Air Force and we got his picture with the Air Force flag.
We left the USS Arizona, got a quick lunch, and got tickets to the USS Missouri. Carolyn and I decided that there were too many stairs on that ship for us so we just took the bus over with the guys and waited in the shade while they took the tour. The USS Missouri is awesome! It is the battleship where the Japanese signed the surrender to the U.S. That spot is marked with a huge star. The guys decided not to take a “guided tour” and went on a self-guided tour. They made pictures “on the phone” – I wonder who they were talking to! They were on the ship over an hour and both said that Carolyn and I made the right choice.
When we left Pearl Harbor we headed toward “Punchbowl” National Cemetery. To get there we had to go on Highway 1. It was 5 p.m. and the literature had said to avoid that highway during rush hour. Now we know why – traffic CRAWLED! But we finally got there. This is a National Memorial to military that were MIA and declared dead (i.e., their bodies were not returned.) The memorials are separated by “war”, i.e., Korean, WWII, etc., and then by Service (Army, Navy, etc.). My first cousin, Billy Morgan Phillips, was MIA in Korean War and his body was never found. We found his name on one of the monuments. There is a chapel on the grounds and an impressive sculpture. The view from there is fantastic – you can see most of Honolulu and Diamond Head. The flowers and trees are just so pretty that they take your breath. Several of the trees are trimmed to resemble wreaths.
It was a long day and we ate dinner at “Bubba Gumps” in the Ala Mona Shopping Center. Afterwards we got our exercise (as if we hadn’t walked enough.) Tom wanted to go to See’s Candy and get some special candy for his daughter (an apricot candy that she really loves.) We found out just how large that shopping center was when we tried to find the candy store. FINALLY we located it, bought candy (I had to have some chocolate since I had not had a STARBUCKS today) and headed back to the hotel. Great day and looking forward to tomorrow.
Wish we were there! Looks like you're having fun.
ReplyDelete