Aloha: Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri, National Memorial Cemetary

Image by Quad Dimensional Pictures
My temporary assignment to the Aloha State presented ample opportunities to explore the military history and natural beauty of Oahu. These photos feature my visit to Pearl Harbor, the Battleship MIssouri, Hickam Air Force Base and National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific May 20, 2016.
Several photos taken at Hickam Air Force Base feature the very street and barracks where my grandfather and father lived during their respective tours with the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force. Both flew a variety of military transport aircraft. Their combined service record includes missions throughout the Pacific, Europe and the Americas during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada and the Gulf War.
Called Pu’uloa, meaning "long hill," or Wai Momi, literally, "water of pearl," by early Hawaiians, Pearl Harbor, so named because of the 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 on Oahu.
Today, Pearl Harbor remains an active military base, Headquarters of the Pacific Fleet, and a National Historic Landmark that’s 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 Battleship Missouri, these four historic sites together tell the story of the War in the Pacific, commemorating the accomplishments of a previous generation.
Located on the island of Oahu, "The Gathering Place," halfway between Japan and the mainland United States, Pearl Harbor will always be a welcoming place where survivors of the attack can reflect on the events which led to the war and which had such a profound impact on the lives of an entire generation.
To those who fought in the war, to those whose lives were affected by the war, their children, grandchildren, and each succeeding generation, Pearl Harbor is a place where people from far-flung corners of the world can come together in peace to honor the memory of the fallen and to celebrate the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.
The National Cemetery in the Pacific serves as one of the Nation’s two honored resting places in the Pacific. The American Military Cemetery at Manila is the other. It is a resting place for the recovered remains of those who gave their lives during World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
Photo by John L. Carkeet IV, LimpingFrog Productions, LLC
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