Hawaii Series Volume 1: Freedom’s Reminder from Pearl Harbor
EDITOR’S NOTE:
An excerpt from this postcard was originally published on social media on May 23, 2016 during our trip to the islands.
Location: Pearl Harbor Monument, Oahu, Hawaii.
Photo credit: Mica Olinghouse
We’re on our way to see Pearl Harbor here in Oahu! It’s a beautiful day here in Hawaii, and we’re starting our adventure early with a full island group tour planned with Hoku Tours, a vendor booked with JSO Travel. We have quite a few points of interest on our tour day including a stop at the Dole Plantation, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and a few scenic lookout points on the North Shore. I’m looking forward to exploring this tropical destination and learning more about the Hawaiian people and their history.
However, our morning begins on a somber note with a visit to the Arizona Memorial just on the outskirts of Honolulu. As a missionary’s daughter who grew up in France, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to learn valuable history lessons from World War 2 on both sides of the Atlantic. It’s unusual for someone in her 30’s to have personally seen pieces of World War II history in the European and Pacific arenas.
As I reflect on my world travels, I realize I’ve visited at least three different places across the world where American men and women have lost their lives for the preservation of freedom: The beaches of Normandy and the American Military Cemetery in France, the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, and Pearl Harbor in Oahu. The locations and time periods may have been different, but the soberness of the moment and honor of those who paid for our freedom never change.
Coming to Pearl Harbor and other memorial battlegrounds reminds the younger generation that the liberties we often take for granted come at a high price tag—the cost of bravery, selflessness, service, and sacrifice. We only enjoy our freedoms because somewhere someone before us was willing to find the courage deep within to stand up to tyranny so that liberty may live.
May I be filled with such courage to continue their legacy of preserving freedom for those who come after me.
If you’ve enjoyed this postcard, I’d love to hear from you! Email your comments to travel@micaolinghouse.co.
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