Our day began again fighting the rush hour traffic into Honolulu to visit Pearl Harbor. Once we had arrived at the Visitor Center for the Arizona Memorial we then stood in line for half an hour to enter the Memorial. The wait was well worth the anticipation. What an awe inspiring and soul searching moment. As we walked around the grounds of the memorial and listened to tales of what occurred on Dec 7, 1941. One could only close their eyes and imagine what the scene must have looked like on that infamous day. 
Finally to ride the shuttle boat over to the memorial itself and to realize that over 900 sailors were entombed within the sunken vessel below our feet. To still see bits of the ship through the water and then to imagine a rescue effort and what they might have found. One can only thank those who have sacrificed all for the freedoms we enjoy today and one can only thank those who still protect and defend the rights of humanity that we hold so sacred. 
After the Arizona Memorial, we ventured across the bay again and explored the USS Missouri. The historical ship that has seen many wars and has served endlessly. It’s amazing that this battleship was the home of over 1000 men or women for months at a time. Finally decommissioned in 1992 after Dessert Storm, we were able to stand in the same location where the Japanese Admirals surrendered to the United States at the end of WWII.
Finally, our day concluded with a trip to the Punch Bowl where we were able to locate the grave site of Ross Levoy Thornock killed in action during the Korean War, a cousin to my father. This area again brought home the tragedy of war and the devastation and lost of human life. Humbling to say the least. The day concluded with sitting around the hot tub and thinking about what we had seen and heard today; and planning the events for tomorrow and the upcoming week.
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