Each year tens of thousands of people visit the historic Pearl Harbor sites on Oahu, Hawaii. I expect each person takes away from the experience something different. When I visited in Pearl Harbor in 2006, I remember it being quite a different experience than it is today. The main difference is the way the monuments and information is portrayed. From what I recall, it was pretty simplified on my first visit, but today visitors to the Pearl Harbor Memorial really can spend an entire part of a day recalling in horrific detail what happened on December 7, 1941.

My father-in-law was in the Navy ROTC. He never talks much about his experience to me, and it was obviously well before I was even born; however, I have tremendous respect and admiration for him and all of our service people. I also felt incredibly touched that I was able to share the Pearl Harbor experience with my father-in-law, as I am sure it represents a deep connection to those that served and lost their lives on the day the United States got dragged into the war.

The ride over to Ford Island, or rather the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial is rather somber, after just watching a short video highlighting how and why the Japanese pulled off the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Learning about the attacks was also quite staggering to realize just how effective the Japanese were at crippling our Pacific fleet.

My generation of Americans can maybe less relate to older wars until we visit sites like Pearl Harbor. Memorials are a stark reminder of why the country is what it is today, shaped by our past. We are the generation of the 9/11 attacks, and visiting the New York, Pennsylvania, or Washington D.C. attack sites bring back painful memories of those dark days, while at the same time connecting all of us together, stronger.

There were some important lessons to be learned from the Pearl Harbor attacks, most notably the importance of intelligence.

I am so glad I got to experience Pearl Harbor from a different viewpoint on this trip. My life has forever changed since my last visit to Pearl Harbor. This trip, I was thankful not only for those that gave their lives and serve our Country, but also for getting to share this incredible experience with my wife, boys, and in-laws.

For those planning on heading to Pearl Harbor, I have only one suggestion. Tickets are free through the National Park Service, but they charge a small fee for reserving tickets ahead. In general, we recommend ordering tickets ahead of time unless you plan on arriving to the site early. On busy days, the wait to take the ferry over to the Arizona can be hours. Ordering tickets ahead of time will help alleviate some of the wait, just make sure you pick up your tickets early as they will give them away if you do not arrive on time.

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