Pearl Harbor

We took a one hour bus ride to Pearl Harbour today. This had been on my "to-do" list for my past 2 visits to Honolulu and I was determined to make it happen this time. I had to get up at 7 a.m. to reserve free tickets on their website. The tickets were gone by 7:10. The Memorial gets 1.8 million visitors a year. First we went through 2 small museums which covered the history of the war and the effects it had on both the Armed Forces and the Hawaiian people. There were videos of survivors who described their first hand experience after the attack and it left me teary eyed. This is followed by a 20 minute movie with actual footage of the attack. So much carnage in a 2 hour attack. Then the Navy operates a shuttle boat which takes you to the USS Arizona Memorial.

By this time the mood was sombre except for a few tourists taking smiling selfies. The memorial was partially funded by private individuals, Elvis being the largest contributor. The Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship and is the final resting place of 1177 crewmen. Oil continues to trickle from the ship, about a litre a day, and is referred to as "black tears". Since there has been no evidence of environmental damage from the oil, it was decided that it would be disrespectful to disturb the remains. The message the Memorial wants you to leave with after your visit is.....Remember, Honour, and Reflect.Read more