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.It was still dark when we fell out of bed at 6am so that we could catch the bus to Pearl Harbour in time to get a free ticket to the Arizona memorial. The bus seemed to take a very circuitous route, but we eventually arrived & we were each given a ticket for the 9.30am boat across to the memorial. This gave us time to have a look at all the information & exhibits. The area is very well cared for & security is very tight. We weren't allowed to take our rucksacks onto the boat, but were able to take water & our cameras. Before we went onto the boat we were taken into a theatre where we were shown a film about what happened at Pearl Harbour on December 7th 1941, including actual footage of the events. A Naval Officer gave us a talk about the importance of the memorial & how to behave whilst there. We were then led onto a boat & taken across the water to where the Arizona still rests on the harbour floor with over 900 sailors & marines who died as it blew up still entombed inside. Thousands of men & women died at Pearl Harbour & this area is a memorial to them all. We spent a few quiet moments looking into the water at the ship still resting below & reading the names of all those whose tomb it is. Then we got on the boat taking us back to shore, going past all the markers for the other boats that sank during the attack. All but three, the Arizona, California & Utah were raised, rebuilt & put back into service.
It was a very moving experience; a stark reminder of the awfulness & futility of war.
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