Stampin' Up! Hawaii 2015 - Pearl Harbor

One of the optional events Stampin' Up! offered us was an excursion to the Pearl Harbor memorial (WWII Valor in the Pacific).  We left so early that breakfast wasn't open yet, so SU! provided a boxed breakfast on the bus.  We went through the 2 museums, watched the 2 documentaries, viewed statues and artifacts including the original anchor from the USS Arizona.

Then, we rode the boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial.

The memorial was impressive.  A wall with the names of all the soldiers that were killed was at the back of the structure flanked by walls with artistic cut outs representing the Tree of Life.  They have also added the names and remains of survivors as they have passed away so that they are reunited with their shipmates.

Our tour guide told us the story of the oil that still leaks from the sunken battleship after 73 years.  The legend is that the oil is the tears of the soldiers and it will continue to leak to the surface until the final survivor is reunited with his crewmen.  She also told us that photos of the oil sometimes reveal faces, so I did photograph some of the leaking oil...judge for yourself.

We also had a chance to meet Herb Weatherwax, a native Hawaiian Pearl Harbor survivor.
 

 The whole experience was very moving.

Aloha,