Hopefully everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day. It can be easy to enjoy the three day weekend, spending time with your family and hopefully throwing something on the grill, even during this weird version of the holiday. Let's not lose track of what the day means.
I don't want want to be preachy so I'll just say this. It was the sacrifice of men and women from current and past generations that have given us what we have today. It may be hard to see right now, but we live in the most prosperous country in the world during an era like nothing seen in history. We have it so good.
My family isn't going to a cemetery today, though I'm reminded of the coolest burial site I've ever visited. If you're ever in Hawaii, on Oahu, the one absolutely must-visit place is Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial (though Diamond Head should be hiked as well). The USS Arizona battleship sank into the harbor that infamous day. With 1177 deaths (out of 1500+ crew), the Arizona made up half of the ~2400 U.S. total in the Pearl Harbor attack. In the end, more than 900 bodies remained entombed there.
If you drive, I remember extremely limited parking. Once inside you need a ticket to do the tour, which includes a video and a boat ride out into the harbor. I highly recommend the official tour even though the you can see much of the beautiful harbor without it. The video did a tremendous job taking you into the attack, including what it meant for the country and for Hawaii. You go right from the theater to the boat for a short ride to the sunken hull of the old battleship. The Memorial is a structure that sits on the water over top the ship without touching it. Inside are the names of the fallen crew, the vast majority of whom went down with the ship. You won't forget the harrowing experience.
The coolest part of the Memorial, without a doubt, is that any remaining survivors (of the USS Arizona specifically) can be interned on the ship. In other words, they can go to their ultimate resting place with their brothers that never made it out. According to the National Park Service, 43 men have done this since 1982 in what must've been an incredible ceremony. While still a few survivors remain, it appears the last of these has been held.
Godspeed gentlemen.
Thank you for your service.
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