Pearl Harbor

USS Arizona Memorial, Commemorating the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

We arrived at the Arizona Memorial port in Pearl Harbor just in time to catch the last movie of the day. We were surprised at how politically correct the entire presentation was, but looking around at it's mostly foreign audience gave us a hint. The movie was still very moving, more so than we had expected. Its live footage and real life accounts brought it closer to home than any fact-filled textbook ever could.

We were then ushered out of the theater to a small ferry that chugged it's way across the harbor. As a soundtrack of bombs falling played through the speakers, the boat slowly wrapped around the helm of the USS Arizona. It docked on the side of the Arizona Memorial, a long white hall builT over the keel of the ship.

The memorial serves its purpose well. Its smooth, white walls are soothing, but do not distract from the view. You can peer over the sides of the memorial and see the top of the rusted tomb, that is now a home for sea creatures, only a few feet below. It is designed to encourage contemplation and remembrance, and as you stare at the names engraved on the memorial wall you can't help but think about the men who died on December 7, 1942 and are still entombed below.