Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor is a date which will live in infamy. During a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 four US battleships sunk, four others were damaged, 2,403 Americans lost their lives and another 1,178 were wounded. The attack on Pearl Harbor officially entered the U.S. into World War II and led to American President FDR giving the historic infamy speech. Hawaii is a beautiful state and Oahu is an amazing city but what took place on December 7, 1941 was a tragic moment in American history. Every person who visits Hawaii should pay their respects to the men and women who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor especially if you are an American citizen.

Per my previous blogs if you have a car or means of transportation do not pay a tour guide to take you to Pearl Harbor because it is free to visit. Technically, if you are an American it is covered in your tax dollars. Hotels, tour guides, and even Pearl Harbor staff will try to sell you on package deals which include a tour guide and a behind the scenes look at what happened on December 7, 1941. You can walk around the grounds, see almost all the exhibits, read some amazing facts about the base, watch short films, view the sunken ship and the memorials for free.

We started off with breakfast at Ama Ama at Disney’s Aulani Resort and it was by far the best breakfast I had during my stay in Hawaii. Breakfast was a little on the expensive side but honestly all breakfast in Hawaii is expensive. Most breakfast items such as eggs, bacon and sausage are a premium because they are shipped over by boat from the mainland. Average sit down breakfast on Oahu is going to cost around $20-$30 per person so you are looking at a $60 breakfasts for a couple. I am a sucker for lobster so I ordered the Ama Ama Breakfast sandwich which is lobster, bacon, egg, truffle oil butter, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun. My wife stuck to her love for the Hawaiian delicacies and ordered the traditional Loco Moco Breakfast which is a hamburger patty on top of rice, two eggs, and onion gravy. Each order was served with Aulani breakfast potatoes and we ordered a side of pineapple for $10.00. The combination of my favorite land and sea creature in one sandwich came together rather nicely in my breakfast sandwich. The clean fish taste of the succulent lobster balanced well with the crispy-salty-not greasy bacon making me savor every bite. As I bit into the sandwich the yoke from my eggs mashed well with the fresh tomatoes and soft pieces of avocado. However, the main event of the breakfast was the pineapple. The pineapple in Hawaii taste different than pineapple in other parts of the world. The sweetness gets all the way behind your tongue and fills your cheeks with joy. Without finishing your first chunk your fork is already going for more. Now I know why it takes almost three years to grow a pineapple.

After breakfast we headed to Pearl Harbor which is about twenty minutes away from Disney’s Aulani Resort. Parking is free and they hand out 1300 walk up tickets every day for the USS Arizona Memorial. They also allow you to reserve tickets which can be done between 60 days and 24 hours before the scheduled date of your visit. These reservations can be made online or over the phone with a limit of 12 tickets per person at $1.50 each. If you are pressed for time and you only saved one day to see Pearl Harbor, I recommend reserving your ticket. It is important to note the last boat leaves around 3pm and the first boat departs around 7:30am every day. Boats run every fifteen minutes with no programs from 12:15pm – 12:30pm.

If you take the guided tours, visit all of the exhibits, and read all of the material you can spend over five hours at the memorial. When you park your car, you will be steps away from the Visitor Center. If you do not do your research before arriving, you can find everything you need to know in the Visitor Center along with a gift shop. Inside the employees will try to up sell you on paid tours and other state approved excursions. The site contains the USS Utah Memorial, Battleship Missouri Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Arizona, USS West Virginia, USS California, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor and USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. Out of all the ships and exhibits I was most looking forward to seeing the USS Arizona. The ship is still submerged underwater and above the ship there is a structure which houses the names of all the American service men and women who lost their lives during the attack.

We parked our car and made our way to the Visitor Center. All of the tickets were already released for the day but I figured we would try our luck to get on the naval shuttle to see the USS Arizona. Pearl Harbor is made up of two islands. The main island has the Visitor Center, a few buildings with small exhibits and the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. The main attractions are across the water on Ford Island which houses the memorials for the Utah, Missouri, Oklahoma, along with the Aviation Museum and access to the Arizona.

The island with the Visitor Center is calm and touristy. We took our time looking at the relics from the war such as torpedoes, missiles, and boat propellers. Some buildings contain actual footage of the aftermath of the attack and eyewitness accounts of the day that will live in infamy. The videos also speak in great detail on how some of the relics on the premises were recovered from the war. We took our time in these areas as we made our way to the navy shuttle for the Arizona. While walking around, taking pictures and visiting the different exhibits we spent about an hour around the Visitor Center.

Before going on the shuttle to head over to the USS Arizona all attendees must watch a video. At this point the staff collects the admission tickets and count the number of people going on the shuttle. A long line formed outside the theatre and I became skeptical if they would let us on the tour or even listen to our excuse for not having a ticket. Once everyone filed in the theatre room there was room for six more people and there were six of us waiting on standby so it worked out perfectly. The video went into great detail on what we were about to see and stressed the level of respect necessary to board the shuttle and step onto the Arizona Memorial. After the short video we walked out the back of the theatre and boarded the shuttle. My level of excitement started to rise as we made our way over to the sunken vessel. Once on the Arizona Memorial my heart became heavy. I immediately felt the tragedy that occurred decades before my inception. It felt real and alive in the moment. The building is open topped and open on the sides. A cool sea breeze walked over us as we entered the main corridor. Unbeknownst to me, despite all the pictures I clearly saw leading up to this point, the memorial straddles the sunken ship like a cross so when you are in the Arizona Memorial you are hovering over the sunken vessel. Everyone at the memorial was quiet, conversations were held to a whisper, and a small amount of pictures were taken. A few park rangers were stationed to answer questions and make sure all visitors were respecting the property. Nobody was hawking t-shirts, nobody was joking around and nobody was treating the landmark like a cheap money grab.

At the end of the corridor there is a huge wall made of marble with all the names of the service men and women who lost their lives on the Arizona during the surprise attack on December 7th, 1941. I did not recall my mother or grandmother telling me stories of family members who were stationed in Pearl Harbor but I still looked for my last name and the last names of friends and second and third cousins on the wall. I felt connected to Pearl Harbor and I had the desire to connect to the people on the wall on another level while I was at the memorial. Fresh flowers laid on the floor near where over 1,000 names were etched in marble. I took a moment to say a little prayer before heading back down the large corridor.

Heading toward the shuttle I stopped halfway to peak out the side and scope the remnants of the ship which can be seen breaking through the water. Two gun torrents and the hull are covered in rust and decay but you can imagine what the ship looked like when it was in action. The day before the attack on Pearl Harbor the ship was filled with 1.5 million gallons of fuel to prepare for a trip to the mainland later in the month. Four torpedoes ultimately sunk the USS Arizona with the last hit setting off an explosion from the 1.5 million gallons of oil. Despite the explosion and subsequent sinking there is still 500,000 gallons of oil on the ship that slowly seeps into the harbor every day. The “Black Tears” are clearly visible and scientist estimate about 9 quarts spill into the harbor each day. We finished our tour with a picture of the front of the building where you see the words “USS Arizona Memorial” and the American flag waiving in the wind strong, proud and free.

Pearl Harbor is a must see when visiting the island of Oahu. Tickets are not necessarily needed for the USS Arizona Memorial but if you do not have flexibility in your schedule purchase tickets ahead of time. Eat before heading to the landmark because you can spend up to six hours at the park. Tune in next time when I preview Hanks Haute Dawgs which is a great place to eat after visiting Pearl Harbor.