Harbor of Tears

Wai momi. Water of Pearl. The harbor received its name from the Hawaiians for the abundance of pearl producing oysters found there.

The pearl is produced when a grain of sand gets into the oyster and causes irritation to the mollusk. The creature “weeps” nacre to relieve the irritation resulting in an accretion of lustrous layers yielding a precious gem. So the pearl is born through tears. Pearl Harbor could easily be named Harbor of Tears

It was here on a Sunday morning that the United States was drawn into war in the Pacific when the Japanese Imperial Navy sent two waves of bombers to destroy the American fleet. Half the fleet was crippled, and more than 2300 people were killed. The attack was unprovoked and politically charged. The USS Arizona was filled with sailors still in their bunks that morning. The battleship was destroyed and sunk in its berth, going down as a mass of smoking, twisted steel in nine minutes. There was no chance of escape for those inside.

The Arizona is not a National Park, or a National Monument, or a National Historic Site. The Arizona is a National Memorial. It is a tomb. Still buried in the waters are 1177 men whose bodies were never recovered because the wreckage was so massive and twisted. Of those who did escape on that fateful morning, upon their later death, 32 have chosen burial at sea with their fallen comrades here in the remains of the ship.

We spent a total of 13 minutes on the Arizona memorial, staring at the steel in the water, watching the oil seep up from the tanks below. There is a solemnity about the place. Not like Gettysburg, but still notable. It stands as a testimony of the heartbreak and the horror of what transpired between Japan and the US from 1941 and 1945. What began with an air raid, ended with atomic bombs.

Harbor of tears. Hopefully the pearl that results is wisdom.

Today’s Influences and Soundtrack:
Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality
Arthur Bennett, Valley of Vision
Michael Hedges, Aerial Boundaries
Bob James, Restless