GoodReadChapter 87
Arianna was thrilled with excitement as they approached Pearl Harbor. It is an American Lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu,
Hawaii, west of Honolulu. She kept staring out of the window till their car drove into USS Arizona Memorial; that was one of the
best places in Hawaii for sightseeing.
Pearl Harbor, so named because of its abundance of Pearls once found within its protected waters, is the largest natural harbor
in the state of Hawaii and the number one visitor destination in Oahu.
Today, Pearl harbor remains an active military base, Headquarters of the pacific fleet, and a national historic landmark that is
home to four unique attractions: from the surprise attack on Pearl harbor that started it all, to the surrender of the Japanese on
the deck of the mighty battle ship Missouri; these four historical site together tell the story of the war in the Pacific,
commemorating the accomplishments of a previous generation.
Pearl Harbor was not only a place for sightseeing, it was also a place where people from far-flung corners of the world could
come together in peace to honor the memory of the fallen and to celebrate the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
“Is it true that we are going underwater?” Lena queried with curiosity.
The adults looked at each other and smiled. “Yes Princess, that is after we visit the two museums,” Arianna replied; well, she
chose the destination, so she called the shots today.
“But why was the U.S.S Arizona never removed from the ocean?” she asked further.
Oliver decided to take this one. “You see Princess, it was decided that the men would be considered buried at sea because it
would be difficult to remove them in a respectful manner. The decision to leave the USS Arizona underwater at the bottom of
Lena didn’t quite comprehend that, but she nodded anyway.
They arrived at the entrance and parked their limousine outside. They had to go through a security inspection before they were
let in. Rosie found it surprising that there is still no entry fee for the Pearl Harbor Visitor center, and no ticket is required to see
the museums.
After the guide took them on a tour around the visitor center, they decided to visit the museum. The museum was located on a
military base; non military visitors will not be able to drive on and must take the shuttle bus from the Pearl Harbor visitor center,
so Oliver had two buses arranged for them immediately.
They were all excited when they saw the glass window riddled with bullet holes from December 7th, 1941 at Pearl Harbor
aviation museum.
Both Hangar 37 and Hangar 79 at the Pearl Harbor Aviation museum withstood the attack. To this day, Hangar 79 still holds
evidence of that fateful morning with the glass windows bearing bullet holes from the attack.
After sightseeing in the aviation museum, they all proceeded to the newly remodeled Pacific fleet museum. The Pacific Fleet
Submarine Museum recently underwent renovation, creating an exciting interactive museum with must-see exhibits..
Chief among these experiential exhibits is a model control room where you are able to flip, turn, and engage with the same which
can be seen aboard the USS Bowfin and other historical submarines.
After exploring that place for a while, they moved on to the USS Arizona Memorial. They took a moment to honor the 1,177
sailors lost aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their names had all been written on the wall in the shrine
room.
“So... did all these people really die in the attack?” Lena queried again.
“Yes dear, this room allows us to recognize, remember and honor each person who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. All
final resting place in the USS Arizona,” the travel guide replied.
There was silence amongst them after hearing that they just stood there silently for a few minutes before leaving. There were not
many people there today and that was strange; the place was usually crowded on Mondays.
All through the tour, Oliver tried to focus on vacation and not talk to Aria as Lena had advised. Even though that he had his eyes
on her for most of the times
Soon, hours had passed and it was afternoon already. They had already visited so many places in Pearl Harbor, there were just
a few sights remaining and even though they still had time, Oliver didn’t think it was a good idea to continue the tour; he had
already seen enough of Pearl Harbor for today.
“Dad, I am hungry,” Lena complained and yawned.
Oliver smiled. This was just the opportunity he needed; he had wanted to end the tour but he feared that Aria would be
disappointed since she was still very excited about visiting more places in Pearl Harbor, but now he had a valid reason to do so.
“Okay, I am also hungry so I guess we have to end the tour for today,” Oliver said, just like he feared, Arianna crumpled her face.
“Guys, let’s stay for a few more hours, then we can go and get some food... we can manage the snacks for now,” Aria whined.
“Um... sorry Aria, but I think Oliver is right. We have been here for hours already,” Rosie replied.
“Come on, but there is still more to see... we haven’t even gone to the Battleship Missouri and the U.S.S Oklahoma memorial,”
she persisted.
“Maybe some other time Aria, I am hungry too and I need real food,” Sammy also threw in his vote to Aria’s disappointment.
“Fine,” she muttered sadly, “Where do we get food then?” she queried.
“Restaurant 604,” the guide chirped in immediately.
“Huh?” they all muttered simultaneously.
“Yes... it is a very nice and popular restaurant, and the good news is that it isn’t far from here... would take just five minutes to
get there,” he explained.
“Alright then, let’s get there, I am starving,” Lena ordered and they laughed.
“Hey!! This ain’t funny, Okay?” she yelled, and they went quiet immediately.
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