Pearl Harbor and Aloha Stadium

One of the anchors recovered from the U.S.S. Arizona

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Submarine

Jelisa and Jen in front of U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Entrance to U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Naval ship in the harbor

A part of the U.S.S. Arizona that is above water

Stairway on the U.S.S. Arizona that is still above water

Shellee, Jen, and Jelisa on the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

Names of those who were killed on the U.S.S. Arizona on December 7, 1941

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

A rainbow appeared over Pearl Harbor

Aloha Stadium Swap Meet

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to fulfill one of my dreams. We woke up at 5:45 am to catch the bus to Pearl Harbor which took us about an hour and 45 minutes. Yesterday was the first day we had to pay to get on the bus as our passes expired at the end of May. We also had to make a bus transfer which we haven't had to do yet so that was interesting, but turned out to be a complete success! We arrived at Pearl Harbor around 8:00 am and got ready for our day there. Before entering, they make you pay to check all baggage in; however, they allow you to keep cameras and camcorders. We checked our bags in and headed inside the gates to find museums, gift shops, and a small food court. We got our tickets for the show and memorial first thing as it's about a two hour wait once you actually pick up the ticket. Our showing was scheduled for 10:15 am so we began to wander around which was a highlight for me. I love the military and Pearl Harbor has always been something I've wanted to see so I dragged Shellee and Jen around, taking in the splendor of this event.

I first sighted the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial across the way which is what Pearl Harbor is known for. As I looked around, I also saw what looked like a diesel submarine from a Bushnell family favorite movie called Down Periscope. I'm not sure if that's what it was, but it sure looked like it! Jen and Shellee have already been to Pearl Harbor so they followed me around and were good sports about letting me do everything I wanted there. What an amazing experience that was for me to take part in! I thought I knew a lot about Pearl Harbor, but was surprised at how much education I got from actually going there. We were walking around and got on the topic of the oil bubbles that are still coming up from the U.S.S. Arizona. I said something like, "That's so cool how the boat is still letting off oil like that!" and Jen and Shellee were like, what boat? I was shocked! I thought they were joking with me until I realized by their expressions that they were being serious. Both of them have been to Pearl Harbor and neither one of them knew the very thing that everyone comes to see there! They've both been boated out to the memorial and never even knew that the memorial sat right on top of the boat. We got laughing about that as we continued looking at all of the plaques and decor.

We walked through a couple of the museums and read things here and there, then went into the gift shop to look around. In one of the photos above, you can see an anchor which is one of three from the U.S.S. Arizona, weighing 10 tons! From the size of that anchor, I can imagine how large the boat would've been which just blows my mind! We had about 45 minutes left until our show, so we decided to go eat as we hadn't had breakfast yet. Jen and Shellee got sandwiches and I got a hot dog and then we walked over to get in line for the movie and boat ride to the memorial. The movie was touching and it explained the reasoning for the attack and then showed actual footage from it. There were seven main ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet that were docked at Pearl Harbor and of those, all were either sunk or damaged during the attack. About 170 aircraft were destroyed during the attack as well and about 2,400 casualties took place on that day. The U.S.S. Arizona is the ship that the memorial is over today. It had the greatest devastation as it was bombed and killed 1,177 people on board. Many of those people were never recovered from that as they were trapped inside the boat and that is where they remain today. The movie helped us understand more fully, the impact and importance of this event and how it plunged the U.S. into World War II.

After viewing the movie, we boarded a boat that took us out to the memorial. It was a very moving experience and almost a little eerie being so close to the U.S.S. Arizona that sunk 70 years ago. The boat is still letting off oil bubbles that can be see very frequently in the water. It amazes me that this still takes place after all these years. There are still parts of the ship that are sitting above water which you can see in a couple of the photos above.  It was a very touching and sacred experience thinking of what that ship would've been like at it's prime in full operation. That day was such a tragedy for so many people and a complete devastation to our country. I'm very grateful that I was able to go to Pearl Harbor to see where this experience took place and to understand the enormity of this event. On the memorial, there is a huge wall full of the names of service men and women whose lives were taken that day. It was so sad to see how many people were killed, giving their lives for our country. It's a wonderful thing to live in the United States and to be so blessed by people who sacrifice their lives to keep us free. It was an experience I'll never forget.

After visiting the memorial, we came back, got our bags, and walked to the Aloha Stadium to go to the swap meet. Up until that point, it had rained on and off and had been fairly overcast, but then the sun came out right as we started shopping. After roaming around, we got so hot and about an hour or two later, we headed back to the bus stop to go home. We arrived home in about two hours and were so tired so we watched Gilmore Girls, ate dinner, then went to bed early. We were thrilled with how well the day went as we had anticipated it to be much more difficult. I'm so happy that we went to Pearl Harbor and were able to be a part of such a significant event in U.S. history.