Today may well be summed up in the title of a national holiday: Memorial Day. The fam and I left Laie early for Pearl Harbor. There, we would visit the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Missiouri, and USS Bowfin. I have been to this hallowed site twice before so I knew what to expect. Or, more accurately, I thought I knew. We started with the USS Bowfin (a submarine), then the USS Missouri, and then, finally, the USS Arizona. To be honest, the USS Arizona isn't the most exciting memorial I've been to; the ship is the same, the building is no different, and the chapel, while humbling, is static as well.
My favorite part of this memorial has nothing to do with a sunken boat or a pretty white building in a harbor. While standing in the center of the memorial you are free to gaze in any direction through the gaps in the wall. I spent a good deal of time looking up through the ceiling where the flag of the United States of America fluttered in the harbor wind. Interestingly enough, the flag is posted at the center of the memorial: the lowest point. The building symbolizes the forward, onward progression of the Spirit of America. That low-point, over the sunken hull of that great battleship, serves as a reminder that no matter how hard times may be, if we unite, the United States can come back stronger than ever and move forward with faith and hope.
The rest of the day was spent in Waikiki. Mum, Jane and I went to the International Marketplace while Dad, Nelson and Katie set off for the beach.
1 comment:
I loved that monument. It was so nice. And the ship was still leaking oil! I wonder when it will all be gone...
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