Pearl Harbor – USS Arizona Memorial

(A Date that will live in Infamy)

I found the USS Arizona Memorial very sobering and moving, along the lines of how I felt when I visited the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC.  It is in the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and is probably the primary reason people visit the Monument.  

Appropriately, before we were taken out to the Memorial, we were first shown about a 30 minute film regarding why Japan rationalized attacking us, and how they went about doing it.  It’s sort of a documentary type film, using some footage shot by some Japanese planes sent along on the mission for the purpose of filming the attack.  I have to confess, at the end of the film, I was very angry with the Japanese and war in general.

A Navy shuttle takes you out to the actual Memorial.  Along the way, we saw several monuments to the other ships that were damaged/destroyed by the attack on Pearl Harbor.  These memorials were anchored in the places at which each of the ships were on the morning of the attack.  

As you approach the USS Arizona Memorial, you can see part of the USS Arizona that still is above surface.  They area called the barbettes, and used to hold the main guns.  We weren’t able to get on the Memorial itself, tho.  A number of months ago, the bridge leading from the dock where the shuttles would let you off to the inside of the Memorial had severe structural damage due to its foundation shifting.  So, the actual Memorial is closed to the public until it’s repaired.  Our shuttle did pass by the Memorial close up a few times and not only were we able to see the barbettes, but Jeff and I also both smelled the oil that still seeps from the Arizona, all these years later.

The sailors that died on December 7, 1941, are memorialized by name on the Memorial.  The other sailors have their names memorialized on plaques back on the National Monument grounds.  Over 1100 sailors were aboard the Arizona, and over 900 of them were killed on and are still entombed on the Arizona.  It’s an ironic story as to why so many of the sailors aboard the Arizona were lost on that day.  On the night before, December 6, 1941, there was a band contest among the sailors of the battleships in port.  First prize was a monetary one, but second prize was the granting of time the following morning to “sleep in”.  The USS Arizona band came in second place, and the sailors were taking advantage of the extra sleeping time when the Japanese attacked.  Many never knew what hit them.

This is an image of what many refer to as the Alpha and the Omega.  The Alpha is the USS Arizona, signifying the beginning of WWII in the Pacific.  The battleship on the left in this image is the USS Missouri.  It was the battle ship that sailed into Tokyo Harbor and anchored there, with its guns facing the Japan shore, while the representatives from both Japanese government and military came aboard to sign the surrender documents, ending the War in the Pacific during WWII.  I found it very ironic that the surrender documents were signed on a battleship, since by attacking Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sought to destroy the US fleet of battleships in the Pacific.

Never Forget.