I was at my grandmothers house for her birthday. We were awaiting a song dedication to her on the radio but instead were greeted with the new of the bombing of Pearl. I was almost 4 at the time. Wife and I went to Hawaii late 70s. We went to the memorial. That was a very emotional time for us.
We went to the memorial today. We got there late and they were closing soon for the day, so we just walked around and took some pictures, and plan on going back again when we can see more of the memorials and tour the submarine that they have there, the USS Bowfin. There is a circle of memorial plaques for each of the submarines who were lost in the war, as well as the list of crewmen aboard, the date of the loss, and a picture of the sub. A few times , the submarine was lost and the men were rescued, and in this case, they have the story written on the plaque.
We saw the USS Missouri across the harbor, but didn't know what it was until we came back to the hotel and looked up more of the history, @Don Alaska . If you use google earth, or whatever map program you have with a satellite view, and look at Pearl Harbor, you can see the USS Missouri, and underneath the USS Arizona memorial observatory, you can actually see the remains of the ship with the map program, so be sure to look at this on your computer or iPad. One of the trolley routes goes out that way, so we might get back out to see more of this later this week . https://www.pearlharbortours.com/ti...+pearl +harbor +memorial&utm_content=Memorial
Yesterday, we took the trolly bus that goes around Honolulu, and one of the places that it went to is called Punchbowl Cemetery. When you look at it on the satellite map, you can see that it does resemble a bowl, and we thought it might be a small volcano of some sort . Now, there is a military cemetery there and over 35, 000 soldiers who lost their lives in the wars, are buried there. There is a wall with all of the names on it, as well as the cemetery itself, and at the very top, stands a huge stature of a woman. The statue is made to represent the mothers who lost their sons (or daughters) during the war, so that they have a memorial for their sacrifice also. Punchbowl is located at one of the high points of the city, so the views when we went up the road to get there were awesome. People drive up there just to see the overlook and view of the mountains as well as the cemetery.
One of the really nice things about Honolulu is that you can go almost anywhere by public transit. It is difficult to go to other areas of the island, though not impossible, and if you go to the other islands, a car rental is nice and much cheaper than in the big city. Really glad you are enjoying your trip, @Yvonne Smith!
Punchbowl is actually one of the volcanic craters here on the island, and before it was taken over as a memorial for our fallen soldiers, it was a sacred place to the Hawaiians. This is something that really bothers me about our government (or any government) coming to a land, taking it over, and then destroying the native customs and sacred places. One of the statues here is of the last king of Hawaii, and our trolley driver was telling us about the king, and that the king’s son was the next in line for the throne. However (and this is the driver’s words), he said that the “country was overthrown, and then the king’s son became the ambassador “ to the United States instead . I remember when Hawaii became our 50th state, but I had never thought of us having to “overthrow” the native government of kings, and it made me stop and think about how it must have seemed, especially to the older Hawaiians, who probably wanted to keep the traditional government that they were accustomed to having for all of their life. The Hawaiian people that I have seen here are a very friendly and welcoming people, and I have really enjoyed being here this week. They are very proud of their country and of their heritage, and one of the things that the driver explained is that most of the hotels are all located in one area (128 hotels in one square mile) to keep the ocean beaches pure and beautiful. This is a picture of our wooden trolley bus, taken outside of the Diamond Head crater. Behind the trolley is the tunnel carved though the lava rock to get to the inside of the crater. All of this also is part of the military installation here on the island, and we could see the old gates where the military base started as we entered and left the park. It used to be called Fort Ruger, is what I think he explained to us.
The statue is made to represent the mothers who lost their sons (or daughters) during the war Wonderful to see that those at home are also recognised in their grief
Yvonne, I was there in 1958 for a port of call while in the Navy and again in 1987 for our 25th wedding anniversary. What a change. No large hotels or resorts then. I hope you visited the Arizona Memorial. I understand it is much changed since I was there in '87. As a point of interest: I saw documentary, any surviving crew member of the USS Arizona can be cremated and interned with his shipmates.
When we were at the Pearl Harbor memorial, the one for the Arizona was closed. We did look at it on the satellite map, and it was amazing to “see” the ship under the water where the memorial is at. The water is really clear there, but stil, the ship must not be in very deep water, or it should not show up on satellite images. The also have small monuments for each submarine that was lost, with the names of the crew members and information about how and when it was lost, and we were able to read through that and take pictures.
The US dropped "Little Boy", an Atomic Bomb, on Hiroshima, Japan, devastating the city and causing great loss of life. Three days later, we dropped "Fat Man" on Nagasaki. The Japanese Empire, believing we had an arsenal of these devices, surrendered, ending WW2, a conflict which resulted in 400,000 American combat deaths in Europe and the Pacific. Little Boy was equipped with 140 pounds of U-235 in 2 sections. When they were brought together in a "gun barrel", they detonated, resulting in a chain reaction releasing the equivalent of 15,000 tons of TNT. It was later calculated that of the 140 pounds of Uranium, only 3 pounds contributed to the explosion. The "Fat Man" device operated on an entirely different method of detonation, and it used Plutonium instead of Uranium. Pictured is a schematic diagram of "Little Boy". Hal
Atomic bombs have only been used twice, and both times on Japan. What we used to do, and continue to do, is boots on the ground and naval and aerial combat. Drones are making headway to keep humans out of combat. Nuclear weapons have never been the US norm. Japan had many chances to surrender, and after fighting on two fronts and the Pacific fronts, and Stalin developing nuclear weapons, the US decided to end it right then and there and send a message to Stalin that the US would take him out too. It was devastating, and no one wants to repeat it, but at the time, it was the right decision. We could not continue to fight Japan and then engage in a new war with the Soviet Union. That would have been the first nuclear war with even more dire consequences.
I think war is always deplorable. However, if it's inevitable, it's best to get it over with as soon as possible with whatever means available.
I'll never forget hearing that news! I was 9 years old and we were living in San Francisco then. The whole neighborhood burst outdoors, and began yelling, honking horns, some even firing shots! Three days later we heard about Nagasaki, and on the 14th we heard about the Japanese surrender and the end of WW2...that was a real big party! Harold
@Hal Pollner The method used in the cannon barrel was so inefficient because the two fissioning pieces of U235 had no mechanism for holding them together long enough to fission more completely. The fission occurred suddenly, and quickly blew the fissioning pieces apart, even as the actual fission result consumed the un-exploded Uranium as well as the city. Incredible! Means of increasing that efficiency has over the years created the possibility of making a suit-case sized nuclear bomb. In fact, early "Supers", H-bombs, produced more energy release by fission than by fusion. Frank