After breakfast we disembarked (super easy with NCL) and took two Lyfts to Pearl Harbor. Hubby and I joked that I always get the nicer cars and drivers, which remained true when we went to the airport later as well. Since no baggage is allowed at the memorial, they had a neat little building we could check our luggage into for the day. We signed up for everything since we didn't have to leave for the airport until closing time. There was a shuttle bus to take us to the USS Missouri and our tour guide was actually in the movie Battleship. Not many of the people on the tour had seen when the Mighty Mo had stepped in to fight the extraterrestrials but Hubby and I insisted on taking a photo with him. His real name is George M. Arine but he played Admiral Hashimoto and said many of the tour guides for the USS Missouri were invited to be a part of the film.
Next stop was the Pacific Aviation Museum, which my grandmother had donated to back when it was getting started. Although my Grandfather wasn't there the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, he would later leave his wife and son to join the Navy and fight in the Pacific because of that day. I was so glad to bring my children here to have that real life connection to history. We had a delicious lunch there AFTER Kate & Danny and Hubby & Natalie rode in the flight simulator. Pro tip right there.
Then it was time for us was to use the USS Arizona Memorial reservations from 60 days before. I don't think I could ever get used to visiting that powerful and solemn place. As I stood next to my 15 year old son I thought about the men who died that were not much older than him. I am glad that I was ignorant at the time of a teenager named Chester John Miller. According to this article, he was only 15 years old when he died on December 7th. He had joined the Navy with some of his friends the year before and must have lied about his age. My dad's oldest brother had done the same. I don't think I would have been able to hold myself together if I had known about fireman Miller at the time. In the moment seeing the names of twelve men with our same last name were enough to make it very real for our children. We stood and stared at the names on the wall and thought what an impact that day must have had on the survives who later chose to be buried here. We watched the oil leaking into the harbor and looked at where the papers to end the war were signed on board the USS Missouri. I am grateful these ships are within eyesight of one another.
We were very impressed by what it must take to be a on a submarine for months on end as we walked around the USS Bowfin. There are now nice exhibits about summaries in a building next to the Bowfin I didn't remember seeing the last time we were at Pearl Harbor. Much has been done to make this place more educational, including a VR experience we did last. It was a great summary of what December 7th, 1941 and it would have been better as an introduction but I know it took my breath away when it changed scenes in the middle of the attack.
After all this my children were very ready to collect our luggage and take our two Lyft cars to the airport. It may have cost as much as a day at Disneyland and just as memorable but not a place you would want to return often (for your mental health's sake). We ate at the airport's food court and looked around the shops util it was time to board our delayed flight. Since we were on Hawaii time the flight seemed so late. We tried our best to sleep on the plane but that's easier said than done. Since we all had work and school the day after our arrival home (where it was about 50° colder than where we came from) we tried our best to stay awake and go to bed early in our own time zone. The laundry machines were put to work and I picked up the dog from my parents' house. It was a good reminder that our house doesn't feel like a home without the people and pets who live there. We are so very glad we finally got to take this trip! Hubby and I agree that our 2017 Disney Cruise vacation has finally been ousted as the best vacation ever!
Comments