Our second full day in Oahu was a day we had all been both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. It was our chance to visit Pearl Harbor. While we were grateful to be able to pay our respects to all those who lost our lives, we knew for certain that the trip to this hallowed ground would leave us all permanently moved.
Our tour of Pearl Harbor started at the visitor’s center, where we picked up our timed entry tickets for the Arizona Memorial as well as our audio tour. We opted to purchase the audio tour during our time there because we all appreciate more context and history. It was the best decision we made. The audio tour led us through the visitor’s center, into the shuttle to the Arizona Memorial, through the Arizona Memorial, and then back again at the visitor’s center. There was such an overwhelming amount of material I’m certain that I wouldn’t have been able to process it without the audio tour.
Beyond the ticket counter is the Tree of Life. This design also graces the sides of the Arizona Memorial. It was designed to represent a universal symbol of renewal and rebirth.
Past the Tree of Life are two exhibits which give more historical context to the attack. The first building contains artifacts, including newspapers, film, and photos, explaining the “Road to War” between the United States and Japan. The second building called the “Attack and Aftermath Gallery” displays artifacts that explain the attack itself and its consequences. Luckily, our audio tour continued to play while we were in these exhibits because there was a lot of information to absorb and a lot of people milling around.
After we finished exploring the exhibits, it was time to begin our journey to the Arizona Memorial. The first leg of our journey was a 23 minute film documenting the attack and its aftermath. Once we finished with the film, we were then led to a boat that would take us over to the memorial. The boat is manned by active duty Navy members. For those of you unfamiliar with the history of the Arizona here’s a quick synopsis.
At 7:48 that fateful morning, 353 Japanese planes attacked the eight US Navy battleships stationed in Pearl Harbor. Four of the eight battleships were sunk by the attack. Two of the sunken ships were able to be repaired except for the Arizona and the Oklahoma, which now sit on the harbor floor. The Japanese also extended their attack beyond the harbor to the local airfields, refueling stations, and other military headquarters that were sprinkled throughout Oahu. For some reason, I had always believed that the Pearl Harbor attack was concentrated in Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, the Japanese led an all-out assault on the entire island, killing not just military personnel but civilians as well.
Pearl Harbor, and the Arizona specifically, has become the most well-known of all of the battle sights that day because of the sheer loss of life that occurred there. Of the 2,386 Americans that died that day, nearly half (1,117) were killed by the explosion on the Arizona. When the Japanese bomb hit the Arizona, it landed on the Arizona’s forward magazine, immediately causing an explosion. The explosion was so intense that it only took nine minutes for the ship to sink. To this day, the USS Arizona suffered the greatest loss of American life on any American warship.
Back to the memorial. The design was completed by architect Alfred Preis. The white structures, which straddles the Arizona, sags in the middle but stands strong at its ends, meant to symbolize the initial defeat and ultimate victory, respectively. The flag that you see flying outside the memorial is actually attached to the severed mainmast of the Arizona.
There are three main rooms to the memorial. The first is the entry room which holds flags of the nine states for whom the ships in Pearl Harbor were named. Beyond that is the assembly room (which you can see above) where you can examine the ship.
From this vantage point, you can see several parts of the sunken ship. Even though it looks like the memorial is sitting on top of the ship, it actually floats just above it, never touching it.
From here, you can also see oil still seeping out from the ship. Even after all these years, oil seeps into the harbor every single day.
The last room is the Shrine Room, which holds a marble plaque with the names of the 1,117 sailors and marines that lost their lives that day. Although a majority of the Arizona’s crew lost their lives that day, 337 crew members survived. Even though they were all very young at the time, many of them just barely eighteen, the tragic events they witnessed forever marked their hearts. As a part of the audio tour, you hear survivors of the attack recounting that day. I couldn’t help but cry. These men who are now in their elderly years still breakdown as though the horror and loss was brand new. Some of the survivors never wanted to leave this hallowed ground and they instead opted to be interred with their brothers in the Arizona. The Shrine Room remembers these men as well.
It’s hard to encapsulate or describe the feeling of loss and the utter sorrow I felt standing there that day. I kept imagining the faces of the men and women who lost their lives that day. Young men and women, many of whom were only a few years younger than me, having their lives ripped away from them so senselessly. They would never be able to get married, or have a child, or buy a house, or say goodbye to their parents. Instead, they lie here now below my feet, not even able to have the dignity of a final resting place next to their loved ones. If there’s one word to describe this place, it would be haunting. It haunts me to know the sacrifices that were made to protect the world we live in today. Olin F. Teague said it best–“Here we honor the heroes who surrendered their lives, while they were still in full bloom, so that we could have our full share of tomorrows.”
Many people spent our short time on the memorial (you are only allowed 20 minutes or so) taking pictures of themselves standing in and around the memorial. To me it seemed like there were missing the point. The memorial wasn’t about us, it was about them–the men who never deserved to die that day, the men who sacrificed it all, the men that deserve our respect and our solemnity. I spent a lot of time standing over the ship thinking about those men. Praying for their families. Praying for our world. And praying that we as a human race would never have to construct another memorial like this again.
Although I walked myself back to the boat that day to ride back to the visitors center, a part of my mind and a part of my heart will always lie in that place. It’s a part that minds me to be grateful for my safety, my life, my future, and my family. A part that remembers to live for those who never had the chance to. A part that never, ever forgets those we’ve lost.
