As soon as we got there, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow highlighting the memorials and ships of Fort Island in early morning.
We started by watching a well done movie recreating the event that happened on this day of Infamy. On December 7th, 1941, at a time when America was trying her best to remain neutral in the war against the Nazisms, the Japanese sent an incredible air attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor. Within two hours, this attack claimed the lives of 2, 388 military and civilian personnel and resulted in the damage or loss of 21 vessels and 170 planes. There was no way out of this for the Americans, except enter the war and make sure this didn't happen again. Before visiting the Memorial, we took our time reading and teaching our children about this unforgettable event.
We took a Navy-operated launch to the U.S. Arizona Memorial. The U.S. Arizona was one of the seven battleships that was totally damaged, and the one that lost the most men, about 1, 177. In less than nine minutes after the attack, the ship sank with most of her crew inside. Today, it still remains deep in the water with her crew buried in it. It is their resting place, and the Memorial stands over it to show respect for them and to remember that day and the freedoms we enjoy today because of them and many other who shed their blood to protect this country and what it stands for. I absolutely felt chills as we walked reverently inside the memorial and read their names. I was very glad I was able to bring my children to this historical place where they can appreciate and understand what makes this country special.
It has been almost 7o years since the ship sank, but to this day its oil is still leaking as a reminder of what happened here.
After we got back from the Memorial, we walked around the other sites. The children enjoyed looking and learning about WWII airplanes, missiles, and submarines.
We, then, decided to visit the battleship Missouri. Charlton was feeling a bit tired and not very happy, but the idea of standing on the ship that ended the WWII was undeniably tempting to Elijah and me. We got tickets and boarded the shuttle that took us across the island toward the battleship.
The 887-foot battleship - 5 feet longer than the Titanic - has secured its place in history as the site of Japan's unconditional surrender to the United States. We loved this ship. It was enormous and magnificently amazing. We climbed upstairs and downstairs, inside and outside. Our children loved looking at the 67-foot long guns that fired 2,700 pound shells. Elijah and I were amazed to walk the decks where General MacArthur and the Japanese representative signed the surrendering papers ending World War II. This was an experience to remember!
As we were leaving, Elijah spotted this funny letter on a display of a period World War II servicemen bulletin board. I thought I would share it with you.
We ended our day by having dinner at Roy's restaurant with the whole crew. The food was delicious, the company fun, and the desserts just divine. Let's not forget that Charlton made it through fairly well, or should I say we made it through with this energetic boy of ours. Either way, the evening was wonderful.
