Jan 2 - Pearl Harbor Memorial & Hawaiian Melodies

Jan 2 USA - Susan's friend, Joan, was visiting from San Diego and she suggested we do the USS Arizona  Memorial, the Bowfin Museum, and the USS Missouri today.  We needed to get there before 8 to get in the early tours of the Arizona - they fill up fast.

We got into the 8:30 tour and spent time before the tour walking the beautiful grounds.  One striking memorial was the submarine Remembrance Circle - a stone for every submarine lost in the war and a description of what happened or what was thought to have happened.  Tears well up now just thinking about them all. 

Memorial entrance

Our tour started with the movie which explained in some detail what led up to the attack - some surprising stuff there, too.  Then we boarded a boat that carried us out to where the Arizona and her crew still lay.

It was very eerie and incredibly sad.  There was a list of the 1177 crew members on the back, interior wall of the memorial and Lee found it fitting to look at / read each name. 

Back at the park we wound our way over to the Bowfin Museum.  We took the tour of the submarine itself and then went in the museum.  Joan said to look for her dad's memorabilia.

Her dad was 'Red' Ramage, Commander of the USS Parche. He won the Medal of Honor while he was still alive for an AMAZING attack that I cannot describe here - I could not do it justice.  Suffice it to say that he and his crew used the submarine within an enemy convoy and loaded/fired torpedoes in such rapid succession that hearing about it takes your breath away!    When he was asked about that fight, he said "I just got mad!"  We are so glad we met Joan and wish we could have met her dad!

Mighty MO

One Thick Hatch

We caught a shuttle over to the "Mighty MO", the USS Missouri.  What an historic ship; WWII through Vietnam to being recommissioned (I believe) for Desert Shield!  

The audio tour allowed us to wander all over and discover so much on our own.

We stopped and visited with Cam and Rita on our way home.  It was great seeing them again. 

We got back to the house with a few minutes to change before we went out to a nearby golf course lounge to listen to Eddie Kamae and members of his band, Sons of Hawaii, jam.  The music was varied and wonderful.  There were a number of ladies and a few young girls who got up to hula for some of the songs.  Eddie signed the albums Joan had purchased - and she was thrilled as you can see from her smile.

The band was winding down so we headed off to Buona Sera Italian Restaurant for a fabulous dinner with Susan and Joan. 

This was a very emotional day!