Pearl Harbor

i think our trip to pearl harbor had to be one of my favorite things. it was just so powerful being there and looking out on the harbor, thinking and knowing that almost 70 years ago that was the very place all the people of Oahu saw the planes coming into bomb them. it's just so hard to grasp.








the Arizona is just below the surface, so some parts stick out, like this pipe and ladder...spooky to think that average people like you and me used to climb up and down that ladder just as an everyday part of their job.












katie just being a goof...a cute one though. (sorry that was a random picture)











all the names of so many people that lost their lives. a lady my grandma knows, her first husband's name is on this wall (i found it and took a picture to show her). it felt strange to feel a slight connection to all these men.










the small wall which displays the survivors names of this tragedy. they add their names to the wall as they pass away though.








being out above the ship on the memorial (you take a boat out there) was even more emotional. it was just so hard to imagine at this very spot, a bomb hit the ship and with it took so many lives and all of that is just beneath the surface of the water here. and although sorrow hangs over the sunken ship, peace is also present. it truly renews a sense of patriotism in you.































view of Oahu













you can still see the oil come up from the ship, which adds to the feeling of how real it all is.















the buoy at the end marks the end of the Arizona






























family picture, oh joy...they never seem to turn out too good. haha















view of Pearl Harbor


































the actual size of the anchor of ships the size of the USS Arizona...i believe this is just a replica thought, but i'm not positive.


all in all it was a great experience. if any of you haven't been and every get the chance, i would highly recommend visiting, even if you don't like historical things all that much, it really does feel more than just a historical event...it's hard to describe, i guess.