I have long had an interest in World War II history. Today fed my history habit in a big way. This morning, my wife and I made our way to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial. The National Park museum was fantastic. The audio tour was well worth the five dollars and the historical video everyone sees before taking the boat out to the Arizona was stellar, even if it was put together around 20 years ago. The actual footage of the explosion that sent the battleship Arizona to the shallow sea floor of Pearl Harbor was thunderously shocking.

The short trip to and time on the memorial was a solemn occasion. Over 900 bodies of U.S. soldiers remain entombed in the Arizona. About 2 quarts of oil still leak from the hulking metal military grave and is clearly seen on the surface of the water. We genuinely enjoyed the time we spent reviewing the remains of the event that launched the U.S. into World War II.

Kelly’s brother, D.J. is a part-time life guard here in Honolulu. He was our tour guide for the second portion of our day. He took us out to the North Shore to see the largest waves I have ever seen. We watched as guys surfed the famous pipeline and hung out as the Triple Crown professional surfing event was going on. The power of these waves is absolutely incredible. While today’s waves were a bit smaller than two days ago, they were still facing at around fifteen to twenty feet high.

We have finished our day today with a dinner out with family friends and a Elvis look-alike show. While I’m not much of a fan of Elvis’ music, the one impersonating him did an outstanding job.

Tomorrow we will tour the USS Missouri, the battleship used for the signing of the Japanese surrender in World War II. We also will board our cruise ship early and spend some time relaxing before we embark on the multi-island trip.