Pearl Harbor Day

Photos.

We woke bright and early and were on the bus by 7:15 for our WWII remembrance day.

We wove through morning rush hour traffic to the Punchbowl, the common name for the National Cemetery of the Pacific. Bus traffic cannot stop, so it was a drive-through, but I think this would be a place to revisit. It was quiet early in the morning, and the occasional grave was decorated. The famous WWII war correspondent Ernie Pyle is buried here.

Our ride into Pearl Harbor seemed almost ordinary, with no advance hint of the very emotional experience that would follow.

USS Missouri

The https://www.ussmissouri.org/USS Missouri, the battleship where the Japanese surrender took place on September 2, 1945, is polished and proudly shown off by young US Navy tour guides.

The ship was finished in 1944 and commissioned the same year, christened by Margaret Truman, daughter of then Senator, later President,Truman.  The guns are big and the ship seems indestructible, even today. The famous picture of the surrender in Tokyo Harbor is prominently displayed – men of all ages, Japanese and allied. Senator John McCain’s grandfather, Admiral John Sidney McCain, is in the picture. He died a few days later, after returning to the United states.

Pacific Aviation Museum

I may have visited 10 or 20 too many aviation museums. The Pacific Aviation Museum seemed to be well filled with expected planes and other artifacts. My favorite was the poster of WWII aviatrix whose name I'll have to add later when I review the photos.

We had lunch in a canteen-like room. For us, a shared grilled cheese and fries, along with a large glass of Diet Pepsi. We rarely have soft drinks but we made an exception. We needed the fluids and caffeine.

Arizona Memorial

Entrance to the Arizona Memorial is unassuming. The first impression is of a peaceful, contemplative place, with the Missouri and Arizona Memorial visible across the bay. We chose not to visit the Bowfin Submarine, electing instead to sit quietly and absorb the significance of December 7, 1941, to the people of that time and the entire world since.

We went through the museum and saw some of the famous film clips of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Finally, it was time to be herded into the pre-visit movie. Terrible and awe inspiring.

We crossed to the memorial shortly after the movie ended. Most people were quiet and reverent. The space itself is open and very white, and the group inched through from one end to the other and back. The Arizona, with almost 1,000 men still entombed below, lies under the memorial. The famous drop of oil spreads out in the water in rainbow colored circles.

I thought back to the D-Day sites in Normandy, which we visited over a decade ago. That day was truly solemn, and the French are more adamant than Americans about enforcing silence. Still, most visitors were quiet and reverent, though many people snapped pictures without apparent reflection.

We wondered about the feelings of Japanese tourists who flock to the Pearl Harbor museums and memorials, and I felt happy that the artifacts are displayed as history, without flagrant bias.

The personal stories told through the exhibits ensure that the events of 76 years ago will remain immediate and personal. The comforting words of the Hail Mary filled my mind, as did the Catholic hymn:

Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star

Guide of the wanderer, here below

Thrown on life's surge, we claim they care

Save us from peril, and from woe.

Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea

Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.