Over 70 years ago President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared December 7th, 1941 a “date that will live in infamy.” Today, those words still ring true as we continue to honor the thousands of servicemen who died on that warm Hawaii morning. Pearl Harbor is home to the USS Arizona Memorial, a simple white building that straddles the sunken battleship, and allows visitors to catch a glimpse of the noble ship's sad fate. It really is one of America's most powerful memorials; it's not just a statue or a plaque, it's a view of the actual ship in its watery grave. It hammers home how serious the December 7th, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor actually was.
Perhaps the most recognizable modern day image of Pearl Harbor is the USS Arizona Memorial. This somber memorial straddles the hull of the ship which serves as the final resting place for many of the 1,177 officers and crewmen killed during the attack on the Arizona. The view from the memorial is both beautiful and also solemn-- you can look down on the wreckage, and even bring flowers to toss on top of it, or leis to lay on the railings. There's also a shrine with all the names of those killed when the ship went down, and a plaque commemorating the men who escaped; those who survived can elect to have their ashes interred in the ship's wreckage by US Navy Divers. Also keep an eye out for "the tears of the Arizona", the slick of oil from the ship that's slowly leaking and rising to the surface. You can also see the ship's massive anchor (one of two, actually) at the entrance to the visitors' center.
"From the wreck of the USS Arizona"
Launched a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Bowfin submarine was quite the enemy hunter. During its nine patrols it sunk 44 enemy ships. Today, visitors can tour the sub for a WWII submariners experience, view over 4,000 submarine artifacts, and pay tribute to those lost on submarines during the war.
Also, make sure to stop by the USS Oklahoma Memorial, which pays tribute to another ship sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack and its 429 crew members, although the battleship was capsized, it was salvaged and scrapped afterwards, which is why it's so different from the memorial to the Arizona. Only the Arizona had a more substantial loss of life, but for many years the Oklahoma lacked a proper memorial to honor the nearly 500 servicemen who perished. Today the memorial stands strong and noble, a fitting tribute to the brave men who served.
Step inside the shrapnel scarred WWII hangars that house the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor. Inside you’ll see rare aircraft such as a Japanese Zero, an F4F Wildcat, B-25 Mitchell Bomber, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, dioramas, videos, and more.
You can also visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, located at Punchbowl Crater, and wander amongst the 38,000 graves of those who died fighting for the country. The tour is, without a doubt, a somber way to spend a day of your Hawaiian vacation, but its such an important part of American history that it shouldn't be missed.
But, if you're looking for a more immersive experience of what daily life was like for sailors, make sure to stop by the USS Missouri. The “Mighty MO” was the last US Battleship built and the last to be decommissioned. Today she sits peacefully waiting for you to come embrace her rich history. In 1999, she was moved from her former home on the West Coast and docked parallel to the Arizona (perpendicular to the memorial). The USS Missouri is significant in that it's where the Japanese surrendered to Douglas MacArthur and Chester Nimitz in Tokyo Bay. People originally were worried that place the Missouri so close to the Arizona would overshadow the Arizona, but the two together have been come to symbolize the beginning and the end of the war. Walking along its decks definitely adds perspective to what it would have been like aboard it (or aboard the Arizona) during the war. This 58,000 ton beast will forever hold a place in history.