Today was Sunday, and we decided it would be appropriate to pay our respects to the servicemen and women at Pearl Harbor. We packed everything up at the condo, because at the end of today we were going to be flying to The Big Island for the remainder of our trip. The drive was once again, GORGEOUS!
Once we parked, we were taken by bus over to Ford Island. We started by seeing the USS Arizona Memorial...There were veterans there who talked to us about that day when Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was a very reverent atmosphere here.
Next we were able to tour the Battleship Missouri. We had headsets that let us go at our own pace and hear about things as we traveled all over that ship. It was really neat! We spent a couple of hours on this ship...
Colton is sporting the necklace he bought at the Polynesian Cultural Center the day before...
After the Missouri, we visited the Pacific Aviation Museum, which had a lot of really neat planes from World War II.
When we got here, to Hangar 79, we were introduced to a vet from the war who was actually in this hangar when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He told us his story. He said that when the planes started bombing, everyone in the hangar ran outside and jumped into a ditch. He said he still can remember the pilot's face in one of the Japanese planes as it flew low over that ditch and saw all the men laying in it. The plane circled around and was coming back to shoot at the men in the ditch. This guy went over and grabbed a gun from one of the downed planes, and started shooting at that Japanese plane. He said the pilot must have decided they were too much trouble, because it left them alone. I got teary as I listened to him, because I felt so much appreciation for the many men and women who have defended and continue to defend our freedoms. So grateful!
He also told us that the all the blue glass in the windows of the hangar is original. You can still see where it was shot out by the planes that were bombing Pearl Harbor that day...
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