DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

Steve Evans

Ms. K. Anthony

ENG. 101-111

April 16 2014

No Greater Sacrifice

            I’m going to attempt to put you in my shoes and stand right where I did, to let you see what I saw and hear everything I heard but the only difference is it’s going to be 36 years later. In 1978 I enlisted in the United States Navy and graduated from the Navy Training Center in San Diego, California. I then completed my technical training in Orlando, Florida and finished first in my class. For this accomplishment I was given the opportunity to pick anywhere in the world for my first duty assignment. Of course being a California boy, the choice for me was an easy one. I chose Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and in October of 1978 I arrived wide eyed and with the anticipation of a 6 year old waiting for Christmas morning.

 After a 5 hour flight over nothing but a blue ocean, I could see the bright lights of Waikiki beach and all the hotels as we descended down into Oahu international airport. As the passengers left the plane, we darted as if we were running a race in the Olympics. We all couldn’t get off that plane fast enough, ready to enjoy all that this tropical paradise had to offer. I remember the aroma of salt water mixed with the warm tropic breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean. I’ll never forget that scent of the ocean for as long as I live. At the bottom of the stairway off the plane you are greeted by a line of Hawaiian wahini’s, (Hawaiian for women) that greets you with a bright floral lei placed around your neck. The perfumed bouquet emanating from the lei’s wafts into your olfactory senses and a smile appeared on my face as wide as the Mississippi river.

The ride to Pearl Harbor Naval Base in the back of a bright yellow taxi takes a quick 10 minutes. As I first saw all the ships berthed at the piers I was simply in awe. The standard navy grey paint job on all the ships that included 400 foot fast frigates, a little bigger, the destroyers and then the almighty beast of the sea, the aircraft carrier. This ship is over a quarter mile in length and it appeared to climb to the stars as it rose upward. I walked on the gangplank onto my ship for the first time and that’s when I saw the Arizona Memorial. I’m not ashamed to say it was a very emotional moment for me. I had seen pictures of it in magazines; saw it on the television news, but seeing it up close, my mind quickly filled with the realization that I was standing in the same exact spot where thousands of military men and women fought bravely against the Japanese aircraft that viciously attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 1941. The overwhelming feeling of camaraderie and patriotism swept over my body as powerful as an electrical current surging from my toes to my head. I told myself then and there that I would make it a priority not only to go see the memorial but to also pay my deepest respect and appreciation for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on Dec 7 1941. It was on a Sunday morning when the first Japanese aircraft started their attack on the naval base in Pearl Harbor Hawaii. There were 185 US Pacific Fleet vessels moored in Pearl Harbor that morning, including battleships, destroyers and fast frigates. The first wave of Japanese aircraft consisting of bombers and zeroes were launched some 230 miles off the northern coast of Oahu. At approximately 7:02 in the morning, the Opona radar installation reports a large formation of aircraft heading to Oahu but was dismissed as a group of friendly B-17 aircraft flying from the mainland. The actual attack was 53 minutes later and by 10:30 am, 21 vessels were sunk or damaged by the Japanese. A total of 2,390 people were killed or mortally wounded by the end of the attack and Japan had officially declared war on the United States and Great Britain. The USS ARIZONA took the most destructive barrage of the attack of all battleships that were moored on battleship row. The USS ARIZONA received 3 near misses and 4 direct hits from 800 kg Japanese bombs. The ship sunk in a matter of 9 minutes. The total loss of life onboard the USS ARIZONA was 1,177 servicemen and was the greatest loss of life on a naval warship in American history.

According to the National Park Service, the Arizona Memorial sits atop of the sunken USS ARIZONA, in the exact location where the ship sank some 73 years ago. The architect, Mr. Alfred Preis states the design of the memorial as follows; “wherein the structure sags in the center but stands strong and vigorous at the ends, expresses initial defeat and then ultimate victory “. The memorial is 184 feet in length and spans the midpoint of the sunken battleship. The brightness of the white color of the memorial contrasts greatly with the hues of the blueness of the water. It consist of three areas; the entry room, the assembly room and the shrine room. The shrine room is where the names of the entire fallen are engraved in marble. President Dwight D Eisenhower approved the creation of the memorial in 1958. Construction started in 1961 with public funds and private donations and was finally dedicated in 1962. The USS ARIZONA is not in commission but as a special tribute to the ship and her lost crew, the US flag flies from the flagpole, which is attached to the severed mast of the sunken battleship. In the assembly room on the memorial you can see personal memorability, dramatic photographs and artifacts of the battle of Pearl Harbor. There is a model of the Japanese aircraft carrier ( IMS AKAGI ) that launched the attack and another model of the USS ARIZONA before the attack.

 As someone who has seen this memorial in person, I can tell you that I have never felt anything more emotional in my life. I can only compare it to the ground zero memorial in New York City. It actually brought me to tears seeing all the photographs and artifacts of the attack on Pearl Harbor. I recommend anyone who has the chance, to take the time and take the tour of the memorial. The visitor center located on the shore has 2 theaters, a museum and a bookstore. It includes 23 different documentary films and was not only informative but was an awe inspiring, life changing event that I doubt I will ever reproduce in my life time. The vast array of emotions I felt that day included anger, sadness, pride, patriotism and love of my country. I felt so proud to be an American that day, I stood a little taller, talked a little louder and smiled a little bigger.