Fall 2014 Recap Part 2: Pearl Harbor and the USS Missouri

When I told people I live in Hawaii and I hadn't been to Pearl Harbor, they were always flabbergasted. Finally, after over a year of living here, I got to see it. And just... Wow. Words can't really do the experience justice, honestly. 

We went to Pearl Harbor on my birthday, November 3. 

The first thing you do when you get to Pearl Harbor is watch a video about the attacks. The video is made up of real footage from the day of the attacks. And it's incredible. I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea that this beautiful place, with sun and sky and blue water, had been transformed into a kind of hell like that so easily, so quickly. I couldn't comprehend the number of lives lost, the magnitude of the event and what it meant for our country. I can't imagine life on Oahu that day. It must have been terrifying.

After the video, you take a boat out to the Arizona memorial. The Arizona sunk very quickly, and there are 1,102 sailors still down there today. It's eerie, honestly, to stand on the memorial and know that they are down there. You're standing on a tomb. The names of the fallen are carved into a wall, and there are so many it hurts to look at.

The names of those who died on the USS Arizona.

There is still oil leaking up from the ship. They call it the "tears of the Arizona." It's surreal. The whole thing is surreal.

Tears of the Arizona.

Many of the survivors of the Arizona chose to be interred with their shipmates when they died, and there is a memorial for them as well. I can't imagine how it feels to survive an event like that. It's nice to think of the men who survived being reunited with their brothers, I think.

Survivors who have been interred on the USS Arizona.

The Arizona sits facing the USS Missouri, where Japan signed their unconditional surrender and ended World War II. They say that it's the start and the end of the war for the United States in one place.

The USS Missouri from the Arizona Memorial.

Visiting the Arizona is emotional and difficult, but definitely a must-see while you're in Hawaii. Some tourist spots are overrated, but this isn't one of them.

Flag flying over the Arizona memorial.

After the Arizona, we went to the USS Missouri, the battleship where the Japanese surrendered and ended WWII on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay. The "Mighty MO" was the last battleship of her kind. And she is HUGE.

HUGE, I'm telling you.

The very spot history was made!

Mighty MO has a very interesting and rich history, which we heard all about thanks to our fantastic tour guide, my good friend Chloe. I won't make this a lengthy historical post, but I will say that you should check out the USS Missouri as part of your Hawaii bucket list. Doing it on the same day as the Arizona memorial was especially meaningful, I think.

The USS Arizona Memorial from the Mighty MO.

So it only took me a year and 3 months, but I made it to one of Hawaii's biggest tourist attractions. What's on your Hawaiian bucket list?