This is the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. Beneath this memorial, the remains of 1,177 crewmen of USS Arizona are still inside the sunken ship, which was sunk during a surprise attack by the Japanese army on December 7, 1941.
Last weekend, we had the opportunity to visit the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Park, which house among others, the USS Arizona memorial .
The weather was great that day, the skies are so blue, and the view around the harbor was fantastic.
We had the privilege of meeting one of the survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, and listening to him sharing his reflection on what happened that day and how it has affected the lives of the people in Hawaii, I think that I have, for the first time, get a glimpse on how real and how profound, the effects of war to innocent people. When he shared about his valiant effort of searching for his childhood best friend for many many years, and finally receiving the news that he has passed away, I secretly wiped my tears away.
Being lucky enough to be born in an era where peace is taken for granted, I have never truly grasped the significance of the consequences of war. Sure, we read about it in our history textbook, and sometimes we hear stories from our grandparents, but that's it.
So,seeing the survivor that day, and hearing about his description of the attack and the consequences after that, gave me a different outlook about war. I had goosebumps while listening to his story, literally.
Before we board the boat to the USS Arizona memorial, which is located in the middle of the sea, a short movie, using real life pictures of that time, were shown to us.
A park ranger providing explanation about the ship which still lies beneath the Pacific Ocean till this day.
The oil from the ship continues to leak today, even after 60+ years. Experts estimated that the oil will continue to leak for about 30 more years.
It was a humbling experience to me, to learn about one of the key events of World War II, to see for myself, the names and pictures of young men and women who became the casualties of war, to hear for myself, from one of the survivors of the event, how it was like at that time.
War brings nothing but suffering, loss and agony. My hope is that may there be no war from now onward, and that peace will be the only thing experienced by our future generation.
Great story here. Good job with the pictures to tell your experience in Hawaii.
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