Life In General

Remembering The USS Arizona

December 7, 2010 /

Just a little over 31 one years ago, I bid farewell to my then boyfriend in Denver and joined my step mother on a trip of a lifetime.  We were going to Hawaii together and I was out of my mind excited!  The flight was long…I seriously was ready to get off the plane about halfway there.  🙂  It was wonderful…and today I remembered that trip.  I remember…..

  • the heat and humidity compared to the 20 plus inches of snow I had left in Denver after a freak Thanksgiving blizzard which almost caused me to miss my flight for the first part of my trip to my parents…
  •  how lush the island of Oahu was…
  •  how large the city of Honolulu was…
  • the most harrowing cab ride of my entire life when we went shopping…
  • how amazing the entire trip had been…

But one memory hangs on like it was yesterday….the day we visited Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.  We went to Hawaii the weekend after Thanksgiving and stayed several days, but we were not there for the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  When I visited in 1979, the memorial was only 17 years old although the actual sinking had taken place 38 years earlier.  I thought I would take you on a tour of one of the most memorable places I have ever visited….as it was in 1979.

This was the view from the water taxi as you approached…

Remains of the USS Arizona gun turret mount….if you look at the bottom left of the top photo, you can see part of the oil slick from the ship….the oil still seeps out today.  The oil is referred to as the “tears of the Arizona” or “black tears”.

The Tree of Life Sculpture located in the Shrine Room….

The names of those who perished on December 7th, 1941 when the ship went down have been carved in marble in the Shrine area of the Memorial….

Another view of the memorial….

The USS Arizona was not the only ship that was lost that day and there are several smaller markers throughout the water indicating where those ships were located.  There really are no words to explain the emotions I experienced that day as we rode out to the Memorial….as I spent time in this final resting place for the soldiers who were stationed on the ship that fateful day. 

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4 Comments

  • sandy

    December 8, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    Hi Debbie, first off I hope you are feeling better, it sounds like you were so sick. Also I love your beautiful Christmas tree with all the pretty white decorations. I love the fireplace doors too! Those are pretty unique.

    I can imagine your excitement going to Hawaii, wowie, I’ve never been there. And I can imagine the emotional aspect of actually seeing the Memorials and the ships.

    I went and printed out the Artichoke Frittata Recipe and that was pretty cool to put it in the google docs. I love Artichokes and we always put them on our homemade pizzas. They are supposed to be really good and healthy.

    I loved your Sanderlin Homestead story. What sweet memories, and it really reminds me of doing so many things just like that when I was younger and went to my Gramma’s house in the mountains of Tennessee. And that story of your Grandaddy was so sweet, awww love his bib overalls and his wallet in the front. Such wonderful memories. I almost cried.

    Your daughter is so beautiful! Love her long hair. Oh and to be able to wear jeans that fit like that…….

    I will have to check out the new camera lens although I’m sure I couldn’t afford it right now I can sure put it on my dream list.

    Thank you for the sweet comments on my cake. I loved learning how to do this and if I can do it, anyone could do it.

    Hope your feeling better !

    hugggs