Our final day of this trip was certainly the highlight. We visited Pearl Harbor for the first time and spent more than 8 hours touring the Arizona, Missouri, Bowfin sub and the Aeronautical Museum. It was an emotional experience that I will never forget. The horrors of war became all too real through countless newsreels, photographs, articles and artifacts. It was sobering and fascinating at the same time.
Pictured is the USS Arizona Memorial, final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941.
The Memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship and consists of three sections including the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall. There is another small crypt to the left of the main wall where many survivors of the initial attack have since chosen to be buried along with their shipmates.
According to architect of the Memorial, Alfred Preis,: " the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expressing initial defeat and ultimate victory....” It is a serene tribute to the men and women who gave their lives for our country.
