1941*

There aren't many people around who still remember where they were on December 7, 1941, because most of us weren't alive back then. But, in the words of FDR, it was a day that will live in infamy. That's right, December 7, 1941 is when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, starting the United States involvement in World War II. Until 2001, it was the only attack on the US in modern history.

Yesterday, we headed out to Pearl Harbor to visit the monument. The National Park service has a short video showing some old timey footage and then the Navy ferry you out to the harbor where the monument is located.

That's right, a ferry. The monument isn't accessible via land. The National Park Service and the Navy run ferries out so that people can visit the monument. Tickets are restricted, so only a mere 3,000 people a day are allowed to visit the actual sight.

Now you may be asking yourself, "why is the monument in the middle of the harbor?". It turns out that the monument is actually built on the sunken USS Arizona, one of the biggest battle ships to go down in the attack. So, as you are out walking around the monument, you can look down into the water and see the battleship. The flag flying over the monument is actually on the mast of the sunken ship.

Now, living in DC for the past four years, I've visited many a monument. Some may even go as far as to say that I am a monument snob, and I wouldn't argue with them. In my humble opinion, as far as National Monuments go, Pearl Harbor is one of the most striking, because unlike the monuments in DC which are manufactured to commemorate history, this monument was built because history actually occurred there.