Aloha! I hope that everyone had a joy-filled first weekend of fall. It still feels like summertime here in Hawaii. I don't think I could ever get used to 85+ degree weather all year long. I have to admit, I kind of miss the cooler weather and falling leaves.
I've been trying to keep my pictures and stories up-to-date with my exploring of this pretty, tropical, state. O'ahu is such a lovely little historic island and I just can't seem to get enough of the culture, background, interesting facts, food, and everything else that's fascinating. Perhaps, most significantly, O'ahu has many plentiful venues that allow for the exploration of history and culture.
One historic venue had me really stunned and in awe. Two weeks ago I visited Pearl Harbor. Absorbing the magnitude of the events of December 7th, 1941 was more heartbreaking than I had imagined. The attack on Pearl Harbor claimed the lives of 2,388 military and civilian personnel and resulted in the damage of 21 vessels and 170 planes. It also triggered the United States' involvement in World War II.
My parents and I took a boat ride to the USS Arizona memoria. The USS Arizona was one of the seven battleships on the shores of Ford Island when the Japanese attack began. The ship exploded at 8:10 a.m. and in less than 9 minutes, 1,177 members of her crew sank into the harbor. The Arizona Memorial was placed over the remains of the huge ship in remembrance of all who lost their lives that day.
The images that reveal key points throughout that day were gruesome. Some will stick with me for a while, others I hope to forget. One thing that I know I will never forget... Seeing black oil bubble up to the water's surface from the oil bunkers still in the Arizona. Oil that's been inside of the vessel since 1941. Oil that's been craving to get out of that ship for 70 years.
I'm sure that nothing can really compare to the battle of Pearl Harbor, nothing that we know today, but I do know that it's memorials in this little harbor help many of us realize all that we have to be thankful for today.
