Pearl Harbor

Our last morning in Hawaii we went to visit Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. We watched a movie that retold the history of the attack and then took a boat to the memorial site. What a somber experience. So many lives were lost. It was a beautiful, peaceful morning, just like the morning before the attack, and easy to picture ourselves in this area nearly 70 years ago. Beginning a normal Sunday, a "day off", a time to relax and reflect, enjoy God's beautiful handiwork, and then being caught completely off guard. The devastation that followed was incredible. And the lives lost. Oh, how heartbreaking.

We weren't expecting the effect this experience would have on Kaitlyn. I think for the first time, she really understood what her daddy does. What he protects. The risks involved. She was so sad being here. Very quiet, which is unlike her. You could see her thoughts through her eyes. She couldn't understand how a country could be so greedy and jealous as to create such a sneak attack and kill so many people. She kept asking how they could hate us so much as to want to kill so many people. To be honest, I can't understand it either. Ryan was oblivious, which is exactly how a 2 year old boy should be.

The site was pretty amazing and you could see parts of the ship above the water and below it. They had a diagram of the ship and the parts you can see above and below the water were labeled. See the slideshow of pictures at the end of this post. One of the things that was most surprising, as equally sad, was that oil still leaks from this ship. As a reminder of what was lost. It has been almost 70 years since this ship was sunk and oil STILL leaks from it. It isn't hard to imagine that this was a working vessel. Filled with sailors ready to set sail at a moment's notice. That notice never came.

On the far wall of the memorial were all the names of the sailors who called the Arizona their home and went down with her or trying to protect her and our great country. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. As Memorial Day just passed, I can't help but think about how many people take their freedom and the lives as they know them for granted. Freedom is not free. It may be free for some of us, but some of us pay a high cost. Friends we have known who have lost their lives to protect our freedom. Their families who were left behind to face indescribable sorrow and who will never forget the cost of their freedom. On a smaller (but no less important) scale, the families of the military heroes we know and those whom we will never meet, who continue to fight for our freedom and the pain, heartache, and uncertainty they experience with every deployment, every news story, every silence in a usually noisy airspace on days that are perfect for flying. The missed birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, births, deaths, graduations, dance recitals, and all-star games. Their children who are among few who don't have their mom or dad at school events honoring mom or dad. There is a cost for our freedom. One that many people don't see. I am filled with pride when I think about my husband's sacrifice for MY freedom. For our children's future. This wasn't were I was planning on going with this post, but it is where I was led. This morning when I woke up, I opened the house up on this beautiful, sunny day and went about my morning. While I was getting my second cup of coffee four F-16's flew over our apartment and the skies echoed with the sweet, sweet sound of jet noise. The oh so sweet sound of freedom. It made me smile and I was filled with pride, and thanksgiving, for what my husband, my hero, does and that I have the honor of being his wife, and of being an American. I pray that he never has to make the ultimate sacrifice those men did in 1941, but I know that he is doing what he loves and it is for the greater good. I also admit, that there are days that I take my life, and my freedom, for granted. But freedom is NOT free. The cost is so very high.