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                    America Remembers Veteran's Day at the USS Arizona Memorial


The USS Arizona Memorial is a national monument honoring those who served in the Pacific Theatre during and after the Japanese naval assault on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The memorial structure is built on and directly over the rusted remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona. This is the final resting place of 1,177 Americans killed when a bomb penetrated the deck above the ship’s munitions magazine during the Japanese air attack on Battleship Row.
The loss of life on the Arizona represents more than half of all the Americans killed on December 7, 1941. It also represents the greatest number of casualties on any American warship in history.

Now a garden setting
If you have not been to the memorial lately, you will be much impressed with the park like setting at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center.
While at the Center, be sure to see the 23-minute film and audio tour that brings that fateful morning at Pearl Harbor to life.

Well done
The exhibits at the Center are designed to pull visitors deftly into that specific moment in history, as they relive the politics and events leading up to the Japanese attack. The presentations are poignant – be prepared for a holistic experience you will not forget.

A solemn journey
When their background education is refreshed, visitors board a launch operated by the Navy that will ferry them across the harbor to the waiting memorial.

It is a short and quiet ride. After pulling alongside the monument, passengers disembark and walk up to the cenotaph resting on the Arizona.
At the far end of the memorial, look for the Wall of Honor with the names of those that gave their lives on the ill-fated Arizona. They are now resting beneath your feet.
Visitors speak in whispers, tears are visible, eyes are cast downward into the entombing water, and minds imagine the confusion and utter chaos of that December morning so long ago. It all seems surreal to the observers who now stand in the gentle Hawaiian breeze – safely atop the remains of the Arizona.

The ultimate sacrifice

One can only wonder what life might have held in store for the one-thousand plus soldiers and sailors below – if they had not been aboard the Arizona on that fateful day. Had they lived, what famous Americans might they have fathered for our generation, what greatness might they have achieved? America moved forward, one-thousand heroes remain at their post.

The tears of the Arizona

Seventy-one years later, oil still seeps from the sunken battleship. It randomly appears on the water’s surface – then like a spirit – it floats slowly away. Observers have named the oil manifestations “the tears of the Arizona.”

Be sure to visit the USS Arizona Memorial
Save a day during your vacation on Oahu and take your family to see the USS Arizona Memorial. For some, it is an awakening and first time realization about the many Americans that have sacrificed everything to keep our nation free.

The USS Missouri

The Arizona Memorial is now symbolically guarded by the ever-vigilant USS Missouri battleship. “Big Mo,” is permanently docked in Pearl – just up-harbor from the Arizona.

The Missouri fought in and survived WWII and her deck was the historic site of the official surrender of Japan in 1945. It seems fitting that a battleship that participated in ending the war in the Pacific, should rest near the dreadnought that was the earliest casualty of the conflict.

The great Missouri went on to fight in Korea, and Operation Desert Storm. She was decommissioned in 1992, and took up her post as silent sentinel for the Arizona in 1999.
The USS Missouri has the distinction of being the last active battleship in the world.

If you go
The USS Arizona Memorial is located in Pearl Harbor, which is two miles west of the Honolulu International Airport.

Look *here* for more information about the USS Arizona Memorial, and *here* for the USS Missouri Memorial.

Happy travels – Remember our troops, not only today, but always.

We were in Hawaii to do stories about several exceptional hotels when we decided to make a side trip to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. We are very glad we did.

The first hotel article will be about the iconic and historic Moana Surfrider on Waikiki. It will appear here soon.

© Travels with Wayne and Judy Bayliff




We flew to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines

SOURCE- http://wrytestuff.com/swa856750-America-Remembers-Veterans-Day-At-The-Uss-Arizona-Memorial.htm

As professional travel and lifestyle photojournalists the team of Wayne and Judy Bayliff explore the world of exceptional vacation getaways.

Their syndicated articles appear regularly on several of the travel media’s most popular websites including WryteStuff.

Their work also appears in newspapers, magazines, and on their travel blog the BestVacationsJournal.com.

Story topics include romantic destinations, unique resorts, best airlines and cruises, distinctive lodgings, and delicious eateries.

They feature attractions and places that travel readers will enjoy visiting - sometimes out of the ordinary - and always fun! 

Best places to visit in america .

                                             Three American Holiday Hotspots



America has always been a popular holiday destination, whether it's the bright light of Las Vegas, the chance to hang out with the rich and famous in Los Angeles or even discover the iconic landmarks in New York City. These are just some of the finest areas to experience the land of the free at its finest, but here are some other hotspots that promise unforgettable holidays to America.

Set in the heart of Osceola County, Florida, Kissimmee is a charming city just waiting to be explored. It proves a popular draw for tourists, particularly during the summer months, partly because of its fantastic location, less than an hour's drive from the likes of Disney World, Universal Studios and Discovery Cove. It means that tourists can still experience the magic of the Orlando parks while escaping the hustle and bustle of the world famous region.

Boston stands as one of the most popular yet oldest cities in the US, being founded by Puritan colonists back in 1630. It is the largest city in New England, and with the Greater Boston region currently the home for over 7.6 million, it is also in the top ten largest cities in the country. With events such as the Battle of Bunker Hill, Siege of Boston and of course the Boston Tea Party, it presents an incredible historical city to explore for over 20 million tourists a year, and its sporting clubs have helped put Boston firmly on the map. The best known of all is undoubtedly the Boston Red Sox, a founding member of the American League and Major League of Boston in 1901. Their stadium, Fenway Park, is the oldest active sports arena or stadium in the USA, their home since 1912. The resident American Football team aren't too shabby either, with the New England Patriots lifting the coveted Superbowl trophy three times.

Finally, we move onto Houston, the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth largest in the US. The city has a flourishing relationship with the visual arts, with its famed theatre district offering a year-round residence for a variety of major dance and drama groups. It is also admired for its museum district, one which welcomes over 7 million visitors a year to peruse through works from some of the finest artists in the world. Finally, it is regarded as a city pioneering in space exploration, being home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center which is NASA's headquarters for spaceflight training, research and flight control.

This article was written by Thom Sanders on behalf of Vacations to America. They offer fantastic Kissimmee villas, as well as other great Philadelphia hotels.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thom_Sanders