I recently visited Hawaii for the first time. What an amazing and beautiful place. Perhaps the highlight of the trip for me was visiting Pearl Harbor and the memorial of the USS Arizona. This, of course, was the sight of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Over 900 American sailors are entombed in the wreckage of the ship.
It is a solemn experience to stand over the place of the sunken battleship. To this day, you can see oil rising to the surface from the Arizona. Some have called it “the rising of tears” of those who lost their lives on that day.
Many tourists were present on the day I visited. One man was jabbering away on his cell phone, but most observed silent reverence. Most guys removed their caps, but some, oblivious to where they were, did not.
It is truly one of the most sacred places that I have ever visited. I had goose bumps on my arms and tears in my eyes.
When I was a teenager I knew two older men, two brothers, in Lafayette who were in the Navy and were present that day when Pearl Harbor was attacked. It was certainly a day that changed history.
Some places are fun to visit, but some places are emotionally gut-wrenching. Pearl Harbor was certainly that for me. It is truly a sacred place.