December 7, 1941

We had to go to Pearl Harbor of course...educational opportunity remember?

Along with the famous USS Arizona, there are four more historic sites for you to explore at this National Historic Landmark:  Battleship Missouri Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine & Park, Pacific Aviation Museum, and USS Oklahoma Memorial. Each exhibit commemorates their participation in the December 7, 1941 battle. These four historical sites are not free (like the USS Arizona) so tickets must be purchased to enter. Literally, you can spend a day or two exploring all of these exhibits.

We only visited the Pacific Aviation Museum which showcased the airplanes that flew in WWII (American and Japanese). The museum is located in the hangers that survived the Japanese attack on December 7,1941 on Ford Island. We were able to see the hangars still in battle condition riddled with bullet holes from the attack.

In Hangar 37:

A painting of Ford Island before the attack. Emily is pointing to the USS Arizona. Hannah is pointing to the USS Oklahoma.

Actual size of the bombs the Japanese used to bomb Pearl Harbor

The Japanese warplane named 'Emily'

My husband spent a long time admiring these incredible fighting machines. His favorites included the SBD Dauntless and a pair of F-86 and MiG-15.

Douglas SBD Dauntless (dive bomber)

In Hangar 79:

McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle Jet Fighter

Bell UH-1 Iroquois (utility) Nickname Huey

After the museum, we headed to the USS Arizona Memorial. After watching a very informative 23 minute film explaining what happened on December 7, 1941, we were shuttled onto a ferry that delivered us to the Memorial. We could not stay very long on the Memorial (maybe max 15 minutes) since the next boat load of tourists were coming on board. Due to its touristy feel, I didn't really feel the somberness and reverence it deserved. 

Names of the deceased that are under this Memorial; One the far left there is a separate memorial for survivors that have since passed on after Dec 7.

There was also a really nice mini museum detailing what happened on December 7, 1941 and the events that led to that fateful day. What was most impressive for me was not being on the actual Memorial but viewing the model of the USS Arizona and the Memorial.

It clearly showed how big the battleship was compared to the Memorial and how it lay in the waters.

When you're on the Memorial you can't see very much on the surface and have to imagine what it looked like below.

A "I Wonder"...
My first impression of Hawaii (when we stepped off the airplane) was ...boy... there are a lot of Japanese tourists ...everywhere.  I mean the public signage all over the city is written in 'English and Japanese' for heaven's sake.  I did not see as many of them at the Memorial but a significant amount were there.

I wonder... how do they feel when they visit the Memorial and view the pro-American film and literature all around the premises? Honestly, the Japanese were quite successful in their attack on Pearl Harbor. Tactically from a military stand point, they did a great job. But from a moral standpoint, Japan, at that time, was not a friendly country. The Emperor wanted to expand his reign on new territories. Conquer and control was what he wanted which was a bad thing. A very bad thing. I'm just curious about how the native Japanese (tourists) feel when they come to a Memorial like Pearl Harbor where thousands of lives were lost by their country's vicious attack. Food for thought...

If you plan to visit for the first time, note this:  even though the tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial are free, it's best to make reservations online for your assigned time slot. They do not allow any bags, purses, backpacks, diaper bags, shopping bags, camera bags nor strollers with pockets onto the premises. You can rent lockers to safe keep your things. They don't recommend locking valuables in your car due to high theft.  I was praying that no one breaks into our rental car! (Too cheap to pay for a locker!)

Still much more to come...

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