Remembering Pearl Harbor…75 Years Later [PHOTO]

For many of us, Pearl Harbor seems like an event that took place in a different time. Yes, it has been 75 years since the attack by the Japanese. And in our post 9/11 world, Pearl Harbor almost doesn't seem real. One trip to Hawaii will change that. One visit to the memorials will show you it happened. On this Pearl Harbor Day, I implore you to visit the past and honor those who were lost.

I have never been to Hawaii before. But one site that is one my bucket list is the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial site in Pearl Harbor. The ship sits where it sank on December 7th, 1941. The memorial is accessible only by boat and sits on top of the wreckage, never actually touching the ship.

You can see other sites and memorials, but seeing the wreckage still in the water after all these years is so powerful and moving. You can even smell and see oil from the ship seeping up to the surface. It was decided years ago that no effort would be made to extract the oil for fear of disturbing the final resting place of all those on the Arizona. That's the other thing about this memorial. It is also a tomb. The grave site for 1,102 sailors who were on the Arizona that day. Their names are listed inside the memorial.

December 7th, 1941. A day that will live in infamy. Take time today to honor the fallen.