Today I finally made it out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The tickets are free, but then there's a four hour wait, so Jon left when we all woke up and went out there to get us tickets and then he stayed home at the condo and watched the Super Bowl.
Loli, Grandma, Evan and I headed down to Pearl Harbor. When we arrived we got some much needed coffee, then Evan had fun exploring the guns and submarine interior before watching a film and heading over to the memorial.
I think the best part of the day wasn't so much the memorial, but getting to hear from a survivor, Everett Harland, of the attack on Pearl Harbor. My opinion of it is, the memorial will always be here, the survivors won't be. Mr. Harland introduced the film, before Evan started talking, asking us what the gentleman was saying. Loli took him outside. I had hoped to meet and shake the hand of Mr. Harland, this didn't happen. On the other hand, my two year old son who left the movie before it had began had the opportunity to meet this person of living history. Loli told him that Evan wanted to know what he had to say. His response to Evan was, "Eat at Zippy's." So there you have it, the conversation of a two year old with a Pearl Harbor survivor. Frankly, I am jealous. I was more moved by Mr. Harland's introduction to us than I was by the rest of our visit there. What a hero, and I cared more to meet him than to meet any celebrity.
Today I finally made it out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The tickets are free, but then there's a four hour wait, so Jon left when we all woke up and went out there to get us tickets and then he stayed home at the condo and watched the Super Bowl. 
Loli, Grandma, Evan and I headed down to Pearl Harbor. When we arrived we got some much needed coffee, then Evan had fun exploring the guns and submarine interior before watching a film and heading over to the memorial. 
I think the best part of the day wasn't so much the memorial, but getting to hear from a survivor, Everett Harland, of the attack on Pearl Harbor. My opinion of it is, the memorial will always be here, the survivors won't be. Mr. Harland introduced the film, before Evan started talking, asking us what the gentleman was saying. Loli took him outside. I had hoped to meet and shake the hand of Mr. Harland, this didn't happen. On the other hand, my two year old son who left the movie before it had began had the opportunity to meet this person of living history. Loli told him that Evan wanted to know what he had to say. His response to Evan was, "Eat at Zippy's." So there you have it, the conversation of a two year old with a Pearl Harbor survivor. Frankly, I am jealous. I was more moved by Mr. Harland's introduction to us than I was by the rest of our visit there. What a hero, and I cared more to meet him than to meet any celebrity.
