by Larry Zaletel
The sounds of the guns barking broke up the calm of the quiet Sunday morning; the Attack on Pearl Harbor had begun. It was to be the last day of peace for many years. The bullets were screaming and flying everywhere, amid the loud roar of the Japanese airplanes flying above. My body shuddered, my mind deep in thought. Then I realized I was walking down the runway. Now suddenly awake from my daydream I found that I was standing on Ford Island staring at the bullet holes in the hangar walls, the broken glass windows and the pockmarked concrete runway. History was all around me from the strafing Japanese airplanes.
It has been a long time over 70 years since that day December 7, 1941, a date which lives in infamy. However today it is a nice calm and warm summer day. All around the hangers the scars of war are present. It is amazing that there are still bullet holes left over from all those years ago on that fateful day. The next day December 8, 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt requests, and receives, a declaration of war against Japan. All around the island of Oahu are reminders of the attack.
Fort Shafter is the oldest U.S. military installation on the island. Visit Quarters 5 residence of General Walter C. Short who was head of security on Oahu in 1941. Palm Circle which was strafed on December 7, 1941 houses the Pineapple Pentagon, Headquarters of the U.S. Army Pacific Command.
Schofield Army Barracks was the site of the movie, “From Here to Eternity,” which was filmed there. It is the largest Army Base outside of the Continental United States. The Japanese attack aircraft flew over the base strafing everything in sight as they headed to bomb Wheeler Field and Pearl Harbor.
Wheeler Army Airfield was the location of Oahu’s fighter command post in 1941 where brave Army Air Corps pilots fought against the Japanese in the skies of Oahu. The movies “Tora, Tora, Tora,” and Disney’s, “Pearl Harbor” were filmed there.
Pearl Harbor Visitor Center/ Museum/ Battleship Row, the Arizona Memorial is probably the most visited site on Honolulu and begins at the visitor’s center with an outstanding film documenting the attack on Pearl Harbor, with actual footage of that day. There are informative displays to learn more about the events that took place that changed the course of American History. There are snack areas and food vendors where you can relax and grab a bite to eat. We met some of the survivors and were able to thank them for their service.
Board a US Navy launch for a short ride to the USS Arizona Memorial, which is part of the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The USS Arizona Memorial is built right above the sunken remains of the ship. You can read the names of all 1,177 sailors and marines who were killed on December 7, 1941.
Battleship Missouri Memorial located on Battleship Row located a mere ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial, completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the “day of infamy” that saw the sinking of USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor and ends with Imperial Japan’s unconditional surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Following an astounding career that spans five decades and three wars, from World War II to the Korean War to the Operation Desert Storm, the “Mighty Mo” was decommissioned and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc.
The Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is known to the Hawaiians as Puowaina or “Hill of Sacrifice.” This is the final resting place of over 35,000 Americans who proudly served their country. Experience the serenity of the Cemetery and discover the cemetery’s meticulously landscaped acres. There are also the Courts of the Missing, the chapel and the finely detailed mosaic maps of the Pacific theaters of action in World War II.
My wife and I visited the Diamond Head Crater which features a 360 degree view of Waikiki and the turquoise blue Pacific. After walking up the side of the crater, 271 plus steps, up staircases, through tunnels and bunkers we reached the top at about 760 feet above sea level. We stood over the Diamond Head Lighthouse beneath us, just offshore of the blue Pacific Ocean. It is now a United States Coast Guard facility that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and featured on a United States postage stamp in June 2007.
Waikiki Beach meaning (pouting fresh water) in Hawaiian in Downtown Honolulu is probably one of the most famous beaches in the world with it’s the white sand beach. The area of Waikiki is home to public places including Kapiolani Park, Fort De Russy Military Reservation, Kahanamoku Lagoon, Kuhio Beach Park, and Ala Wai Harbor.
Today, the area is filled with large resort hotels, such as the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the Halekulani hotel, the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, the Hyatt Place Waikiki, and the Sheraton Waikiki. However, earlier photographs show an almost deserted area. The Moana Surfrider Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel are some of the historic hotels dating back to the early 20th century. One of the most well known is the Royal Hawaiian or Pink Palace (recognized for its pink façade) opened in 1927. It has a rich history and connection to Hawaiian culture. Enjoy a Lava Flow at the open bar just off of beach and gaze at the majestic Diamond Head Crater.
The beach also hosts many events a year, including surf competitions, outdoor performances, hula dancing, and outrigger canoe races. The beach is the place for a lot of action as there is always something happening.
Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the United States. It was the official residence of Hawaii’s monarchy and is a marvel of opulence, innovation and political intrigue. Meticulously restored to its former grandeur, this National Historic Landmark in downtown Honolulu tells of a time when their Majesties, King Kalakaua, who built the palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, walked its celebrated halls.
Hawaii Five O Aliiolani Hale is a building located in downtown Honolulu and is currently the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court and the statue of King Kamehameha the Great located in the front of the building. The headquarters of the television series Hawaii Five O is purportedly set inside of the building.
Walk through the downtown area and visit the multitude of stores available to fulfill the most finicky shopper’s desires. There are also many fine restaurants.
Hop a bus or drive out to the North Shore about an hour north of Waikiki and watch the surfers. The North Shore is considered to be the surfing Mecca of the world and Haleiwa town is the gateway. It is a laid back surf town with surf shops boutiques, restaurant and art galleries.
Between the months of November and February are the best times to watch the more experienced surfer’s battle the big waves that can reach up to thirty feet. However from May to September the waves are smaller and more tranquil for beginning surfers and excellent for swimming and sunbathing. There are fifty one beaches on the North Shore some of the more famous include Waimea Bay, Sunset, and Ehukai (home of the Banzai Pipeline) and have thick white sands that stretch for more than eleven miles.
Complete the day by trying one of the local specialties. Haleiwa is also known for its shrimp trucks which are a group of individually owned and operated trucks that sell local, fresh shrimp. They each have there own unique style and flavor and individual specialties however basic garlic and butter and hot and spicy are the two most well known. Usually they are served with rice and macaroni salad. At Mackey’s we had the garlic and butter which included rice and a garden salad with pineapple.
The Home of the Brave Tour is a one of a kind World War II experience. They will visit Pearl Harbor, Arizona Memorial, Fort Shafter, the Punchbowl National Memorial, Schofield Army Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield, Downtown Honolulu and the Home of the Brave Museum.
Private Pearl Harbor Deluxe Tour
If You Go:
♦ There are a variety of direct and indirect flights of airlines and prices to Honolulu, Hawaii.
♦ There are also a variety of hotels and condos to choose from.
♦ One of my favorite restaurants in Honolulu is Jimmy Buffet’s Beachcomber, 2300 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815.
Private Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Memorial Tour and Pacific Aviation Museum Tour from Waikiki
About the author:
Larry Zaletel is a freelance travel writer and a recurring visitor to Western and Eastern Europe, the Islands of the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, and Hawaii. He loves to travel and has also visited parts of Canada and many States of the United States. He writes about the places he has visited, the people he meets, and their customs. Larry is a regular contributor to Travel Thru History
All photos by Larry Zaletel:
The tower on Ford Island, used in the movie ‘Pearl Harbor’
Lighthouse taken from the peak of Diamondhead Crater
The Punchbowl
Honolulu, also taken from Diamondhead Crater
Waikiki Beach
Mackey’s Shrimp Truck
He explained that Horton House was one of the oldest standing tabby structures in the state of Georgia. When I looked at him strangely, he laughed again.
When I told him I was interested in hearing more, he continued: “They’d pour it into large forms that had been made with two parallel planks of wood These would measure the length of the structure’s outer walls. When each tabby mixture had set, the boards would be moved upwards repeatedly, until the desired height of the home was reached. If you really love history, you don’t want to miss this piece of it!”
The moment I caught sight of the ruins of Horton House, I stopped short. With its scarred openings for windows and wide-open doorways, this deserted house echoed with the drama of its last inhabitants. Its two-story structure stood proudly beneath the overhanging beauty of gigantic tree branches. I jumped off the bike and parked it nearby.
The house was built by Major William Horton, second in command, serving under General James Oglethorpe and in charge of troops that were entrenched further North, on St. Simon’s Island. Horton House is surrounded by rich land, which was perfect for harvesting cotton and indigo, as well as hops and barley. Horton actually produced Georgia’s first beer and supplied ale to the troops and settlers at nearby Ft Frederica. I wondered what a cold glass of that had tasted like, way back when!
One of the land grant conditions stated that Horton would have to bring 10 indentured servants with him from England, one for each fifty acres of land. He was also required to have 20% of the land cultivated and sustainable, within the first ten years of his settling in Georgia.
In 1791, four Frenchmen from Sapelo Island jointly purchased Jekyll Island. Later, one of them, Poulain du Bignon, became the sole owner. As a young officer, Poulain served in the French Army in India, fighting against Great Britain. Later, he commanded a French Naval vessel. He moved into Horton House in1792, several years after the American Revolution. Bignon died in 1825. He was eighty-six. He’s buried with other members of his family, across the street from Horton House, with a peaceful view of Bignon Creek. A single oak tree marks his passing.
The remaining Bignon family continued to own Jekyll Island, working together to manage the plantation and it’s crops. Eventually they decided to sell the property to a group of millionaires in 1886. They, in turn, promptly formed The Jekyll Island Club, a playground for the rich and famous. Many of the world’s wealthiest families became members in it’s heyday. Most notably were the Morgan, Vanderbilt and Rockefeller empires.Today, the Jekyll Island Club is a luxury resort and a member of the Historic Hotels Of America.
About the author:
Chaco Canyon National Historical Park sits in Northwestern New Mexico and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1987. According to archeological studies, 4,000 to 6,000 Hopi, Pueblo, Navajo and other Indian tribes passed through this canyon. From 850 A.D. to 1150 A.D., the Anasazi lived within great houses often oriented to solar, lunar and cardinal directions. There seems to be an unending fascination about the Anasazi’s and their use of sophisticated astronomical markers, water control devices and Chacon “roads.” At the Chaco Canyon visitor center a video program is shown hourly about these ancient inhabitants as well as a small museum displaying artifacts, maps and a small outdoor observatory.
Self-guided tours are also available to the grand Pueblo Bonito, (Spanish for Beautiful Town) the largest Anasazi ruin, Casa Rinconado (Great Kiva) and Una Vida (another great house). For longer treks, there are at least a dozen trails leading to the top of the mesa for views of the entire Chaco Canyon network of ruins. Most are fairly easy with little elevation gain, the longest trail is a little over six miles. We chose the Pueblo Bonito Rim Overlook trail. After a steep one and a half mile climb the ruins of Pueblo Alto greeted us as a setting sun shadow danced across the canyon walls.
Canyon De Chelly National Monument resides in Northeast Arizona and is west of Chaco Canyon. Numerous overlooks of the canyon are accessible by driving a two-lane road that meanders along the rim. My favorite overlook was Spider Rock. Today, only two tall spires of red sandstone stand alone in the middle of the valley floor depicting Spider Woman’s home where she helped her People move into the fourth world by hiding them in the reeds and then floating them down to dry land.
The Second World according to Waters was called “Dark Midnight” and was destroyed by cold and ice. Again, the kivas kept them warm and dry. Once the destruction stopped, they climbed up a ladder into another world. This was the Third World. Dissension broke out quickly among the People and this world was destroyed by flooding. However, this time an appointed caretaker named Spider Woman saved the ancients by hiding them in reeds and floating them to dry land into the Fourth World. The Fourth World, according to Waters, was called “World Complete.” This world was unlike the previous three, where the ancestors were provided for. The Fourth World had harsh deserts, never ending marshes and mountains of violent weather. This World was to be a time of awakening, realizing how we affect each other and that we are all one. Sounds like what might be happening now, doesn’t it? The Hopi say we are now living in the Fourth world which is ending and that the Fifth World is beginning.
Further south of Canyon De Chelly lies Casa Malpais Archaeological Park. This National Historic Landmark also has evidence of underworld activity within the ruins. Intact pottery was discovered here as well as a 8 X 4 foot panel depicting human like figures with tails which may have represented ancestral beings before they emerged above ground to the fourth world. These petroglyphs offer an inkling about the Zuni and Hopi clans that lived and held ceremonies here six hundred years ago. Archeologists propose these drawings came from the Parrot Clans because there is a parrot spitting rainwater onto a corn plant. According to Hopi legends, this indicates that the Corn Clan and Parrot Clan went their separate ways.
Perhaps answers can be found within the stars. In the early evening at Chaco Canyon, the park rangers open up the observatory. Summer evenings are pleasant here as a warm gentle breeze sweeps the desert floor with the fragrance of sweet pinion and sage. A waning moon allows the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia and Milky Way to shine more brightly.
By 1680, the year of the Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico, horses spread rapidly through the plains and prairies of North America, probably reaching the Northwest around 1700. And the Nez Perce tribe, long known for their dog-breeding skills, quickly adapted to the horse, harnessing it as an invaluable aide in hunting buffalo. Because of the horse’s speed, they were able to cover more territory in less time and thus extend the expanse of their hunting grounds. Life was good and meat became more plentiful as a result.
Over the following years, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce found that his tribal homelands were increasingly encroached upon by white settlers, despite signed treaty promises to the contrary. Rather than continue to fight against overwhelming odds, he mustered a band of his people consisting of several warriors, elders, and many women and children, embarking on a 3-month, 1,170 mile journey to sanctuary in Canada.
Nowadays, the Appaloosa horse breed is enjoying a resurgence in popularity and can often be seen exhibited at county fairs along with their young mounts. Besides being popular with young horse riders, Appaloosas are also used as working ranch horses and trail horses. The Appaloosa Horse Club, an international breed registry, has records of more than 635,000 Appaloosas and 33,000 members. The horses excel in many competitive events, including racing, jumping, dressage, reining roping gaming, pleasure and endurance.
Photo credits:
And the Port-la-Joye lighthouse – Fort Amherst, Prince Edward Island, S.S. Klondike National Historic (S.S. Keno) Site, etc.
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