Pearl Harbor:The Birth of a Nation...
Written: May 30 '01 (Updated May 30 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beauty, reference, respect, historic...
Cons: None...
The Bottom Line: A must for anyone visiting Hawaii who wishes to honor our nations past.
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| vemartin's Full Review: Pearl Harbor |
Blue, that is the first thing that struck me about Pearl Harbor, its waters and covering sky are incredibly blue. And serene; the waters of the harbor gently roll up upon the shores touching it like a sweet caress, and the wind cool and inviting is but a whisper upon the ears.
Like most harbors and bays in the Hawaiian island chain, Pearl Harbor was undoubtedly form when the wall of a volcano fell into the sea forming a natural harbor. The entrance to the harbor is marked by Hospital Point, where the old Naval Hospital used to stand, but now plays host the Naval Security Group Command and the a dry-dock facility belonging to the Naval Shipyards. Most of the harbor is surrounded by military establishments and is therefore off limits to most civilian water traffic. The Navy still has a sizable presence at Pearl Harbor, as does the Air Force at Hickam Field.
Looking out into the harbor from any point of land that surrounds it, it is hard to believe that Pearl Harbor once played host to the violence it has become most famous for. There are of course gentle reminders of that faithful day on December 7th 1941; the original cement buoys where the proud battleships of Battleship Row once moored, still line Ford Island’ (Ford Island is the island in the middle of the harbor which used to play host to a navel airbase) eastern side; as does the remains of the battleship U.S.S. Arizona and the monument that lays over top of her paying homage to the over 1000 Navy sailors who gave their lives, but died not a noble nor fitting death. And on the western side of Ford Island rests the rusting remains of the battleship Utah, the jagged edges of her torn and battered superstructure rise out of the lapping waters of the harbor pointing skyward a not so beautiful reminder of the carnage and human suffering that took place on that faithful day.
I spent 15 years of my life in the United States Navy, for 5.5 of them I was stationed in Pearl Harbor. I work for a while on Ford Island as part of the Naval Submarine Training School, and five times a week I had to pass the U.S.S. Arizona on a ferry which would shuttle me and my fellow sailors to and from Ford Island from the main Naval Base. Everyday I would watch as we passed her paying my respects by observing my own private moment of silence, but I couldn’t bring myself to set foot upon the monument for fear of breaking down.
Finally, on a bright sunny morning near the end of my last tour, when the wind blew quietly from the west unfurling the American flag that still flies above the U.S.S. Arizona’ violated hull, I visited the monument that rides above her like a silent ever present guardian. Portions of the monuments deck (floor) are open the harbor and on a clear day you can see the U.S.S. Arizona resting on the bottom, droplets of oil still rising from her broken hull; tears of the dead it is said. I read the names of the men, fellow sailors, fellow Americans, who still call the U.S.S. Arizona home and profound sadness over took me and I began to weep silently. And as I stood looking down into the depths of the harbor at her curved majestic hull given over to the sea, my tears mixed with the oil and I grieved. I stood for long moments after the last tear had fallen, and listened to the silence and reverent murmurs of the people around me and I knew they understood what this place meant to our nation.
Pearl Harbor is more than a tourist spot to be visited and have your picture taken. It is a place of reverence, a place where over 2100 men and women lost their lives on one faithful day in 1941. It is the place where America lost her purity for good; the nation was raped and thrust upon the world stage from which we have not yet descended. Pearl Harbor saw the birth of a Superpower and the death innocence; it gave rise to arguably the greatest period of American history where the greatest generation of men and women proudly gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of their nation and the principles for which she stands.
I was proud to serve our nation, but never so proud as when I was at Pearl Harbor where the very embodiment of sacrifice, heroism, and dedication to duty still endures 45 feet below the surface of a tranquil blue sea watched over by a knowing bright blue sky!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
vemartin
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 - Top 50 |
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Member: Vincent
Location: Aurora, IL
Reviews written: 1378
Trusted by: 549 members
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...A Great Empire cannot be Conquered from Without until it first Destroys itself From Within...
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