Pearl Harbor Memorial - some impressions

A View of the USS Missouri and the USS Arizona, originally uploaded by drtaxsacto.

Yesterday, as a part of our trip to Hawaii, we went to the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor. I had several impressions. First, I had forgotten that all of the casualties on December 7 were less than the total number of casualties on 9/11. Before you can travel to the memorial you are required to see a 23 minute movie about December 7 - it is very well done. The impact of Pearl Harbor on the American psyche should not be underestimated - but the magnitude of 9/11 should also not be underestimated. I believe the proportions of the current fight are similar to WWII. I am not sure we have recognized that as a people.

Second, the first impression one gets at the memorial is one of dignity. You are asked to turn off all cell phones and to keep chatter to a minimum and when you get to the memorial (by Navy launch) that seemed to be observed. The memorial is elegant in its simplicity. In the picture you can see in the lower right corner a part of the Arizona's superstructure, which is submerged. The white pilon is for the USS Vestal and the ship in the left upper corner is the Missouri. We had the chance to be there on a pretty day with a brisk wind but lots of sun. But the place almost commanded dignity. One would hope that the memorial for the victims of 9/11 is a well done.

Third, the movie that you see before going to the memorial touches on the issues relating to Admiral Kimmel and General Short - the commanding officers in Hawaii in December,1941. It made me want to go back and think about the history. Kimmel and Short were stripped of their ranks soon after December 7. There is plenty of evidence that neither was prepared for the change in the way the world worked. There is also some evidence, which was claimed by Kimmel, that he was the victim of political machinations. Any leader needs to be much better than either of the senior military officers in Hawaii were, or for that matter FDR and his team were, in thinking about possibilities outside the existing logic of the time. What was true then is certainly true now. Kimmel actually did a book (called Admiral Kimmel's Story) which argued that he and General Short were part of a political plot the Roosevelt administration was involved in to move us into war. That is not a satisfying argument - but the political role here should not be underestimated. As senior officers both should have understood the potential for political manipulation. Regardless of the role of politics, there is plenty of evidence that both officers could have been better prepared for the attack.

Fourth, the common logic of the hotel people seemed to be wrong. We checked with our hotel and were told to get there very early, we got there about 7:45 AM and there was a long but fast moving line. We had to wait inside the enclosure for a couple of hours before we got into the theater and then on the launch. It was worth the wait. At my Flickr site I have posted the photos I took on our visit. As you can see from one there was a long line to get in. By the time we got out later in the morning, there was no line. I am not sure whether that is true all the time but we could have come a bit later in the day with no wait. Regardless of the wait, the memorial is well worth the visit.