Pearl Harbor: A Beautiful Tragic Tribute
Written: Jul 31 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: beautiful scenery, historic, powerful tribute to those who died
Cons: makes you think about death
The Bottom Line: The ugliness of death is even more powerful in contrast to the beauty that is Pearl Harbor. This is a fitting tribute and an experience I will never forget.
|
|
|
| quasar's Full Review: Pearl Harbor |
The year was 1994. I had recently moved to New Mexico and was living a block or so caddy-corner from my best friend. A nice strip mall sprawled across the block we both bordered with a Little Caesar's inside. Normally, we would order takeout then go pick up the food together, but this particular night my friend wasn't feeling great, so I went alone. Little Caesar's is never ready when they say it will be ready, so I left 5 minutes after the ETA. I still found myself waiting, bored, so I filled out one entry in the sweepstakes du jour - grand prize: a trip for two to Hawaii.
I cannot express my shock and amazement when I won this trip. Furthermore, the dates they had pre-chosen (in January 1995) coincided with the dates my mom was flying out to visit me in New Mexico so the timing was perfect. I got to take my mom to Hawaii.
We only got to spend five days, really three because most of the first day was eaten by travel and we had to leave at 10am on the last day. One of those days we spent on a historic tour of Oahu that included several hours at Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor. A place I had heard about for my entire life. I have always been fascinated by World War II. My grandfather was in the Navy and saw active duty aboard a submarine in the South Pacific. My mother was born on December 16, 1941 but my grandmother had almost gone into labor when she heard the news about Pearl Harbor. Being Jewish, I had many times concentrated on the Holocaust when studying that time period, but the whole thing fascinates me. One of my saddest days was signing up for a History of WWII class in high school only to be told on the second day that because of the interest they were closing the class to 10th graders. The chance to see Pearl Harbor up close and personal was an unexpected pleasure.
I firmly expected to see some bombed out, horrible looking place. But instead, our bus pulled up to a lovely alcove, replete with Palm trees and well-maintained pretty white painted buildings. I can honestly say that on this island of incredibly beautiful scenery, Pearl Harbor was among the most beautiful. I spent several minutes just walking around, breathing in nature, feeling incredibly peaceful. It made what happened there even more horrible in comparison.
This Pearl Harbor, on the island, consists of one large building shaped like a series of connecting I's (with feet). The courtyard areas between the building sections are lush, filled with Palm trees and other very green growth. The left side of the building has a small film area where visitors can watch a short film about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of America's involvement in World War II. The right side has a fairly nice gift shop and a very small concession area that sells bottled drinks, pre-made sandwiches, and bagged snacks like chips. The rest of the building is for research and staff.
At the opposite end from where you enter, by the water, is a small park area with benches and some observation scopes next to a dock. Ferry boats come to the dock every 30 minutes or so, boats that take you to the actual memorial and the remains of the U.S.S Arizona. I'd like to say here is where the beauty stops, but even the memorial with its white arched entrance is beautiful. The memorial is small and consists mainly of a series of lookout windows both above and below water than highlight the rusted remains of the Arizona. These remains are the only thing you will see that day that isn't beautiful, and they seem even more ugly and horrendous in comparison. Since bombing and loss of life should be ugly, I suppose that's fitting.
The highlight of the memorial, all the way at the rear, is a small room empty except for a plaque that covers the entire back wall. This plaque lists the name of every soldier who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is more powerful for its simplicity, quite possibly one of the most powerful tributes I've ever seen.
The trip to the memorial itself is short, perhaps 20 minutes, but since there isn't that much to see I didn't feel rushed (unlike many other places with timed intervals). After the trip back to the island, I spend some time in the gift shop, picking up some tokens of the day including several postcards (I collect postcards). The tour scheduled plenty of time to see and do everything, including the gift shop. I left feeling like I had truly experienced all that Pearl Harbor had to offer visitors. I was at peace.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.