Pearl Harbor

We have waited for Doug's mom to come to go to Pearl Harbor.  We took a great scenic drive over Honolulu that was pretty amazing.

We stopped at Punch Bowl, a beautiful cemetery inside a crater.  There was a service going as part of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Ethan and Sydney lasted...2 minutes.

We went to Pearl Harbor next and took the boat ride to the memorial.  It was a moving experience, even the second time for me.

We saw the tent setup and ready for the actual 70th anniversary tribute that would happen the following morning--December 7th.

Even a short visit to a place like this where thousands of lives were lost in defense of our freedom and on OUR American soil was sobering and moving.  Every day men and women die to defend freedoms that I don't think about every day.  Also, there were many Japanese tourists there (nearly as many as US tourists) visiting the memorial that changed their lives as well as ours.  It was obvious that the Japanese government had donated many photos and information to the memorial.  There were lives lost on both sides of the battle.  Gives me a new perspective on war.