Water-melons

"A date which will live in infamy." (Franklin D. Roosevelt) The attack on Pearl Harbor shook Americans out of their internal controversy, and forced the United States to go to war. The effects of the attack were devastating and disturbed the friends and families of the soldiers. In commemoration of the attack, many sites and memorials were made and placed in Hawaii. One of the memorials that specifically stood out to me when I had traveled to Pearl Harbor was the Waterfront Memorial. This memorial is placed in the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, alongside the actual USS Bowfin that is currently set up as a Museum.  I think that the reason the memorial is placed in that park, is that is stands next to the Pearl Harbor Avenger (USS Bowfin) which would emphasize the impact that the deaths of the soldiers had on this country. The memorial itself stands in tribute to the 52 American submarines and the more than 3,500 submariners lost.  The memorial is separated into 52 separate pieces, each of which had the names of the soldiers on that boat along with a description and picture of the boat. The 52 pieces shoulder a path that goes into the American flag, which I interpret as, the boats and soldiers that were lost all symbolize the freedom and unity of the flag. Although the memorial was very stunning, at the same time I could not get away from the noise which the museum had attracted. This can be explained by a quote in "Postcards from the Trenches," "Such sites, busy with frequent traffic, are hardly conducive to quiet contemplation, and after a short time the memorial becomes another familiar object of the busy town centre and is rarely looked at"(Whittick 44). The fact that the memorial is placed next to the USS Bowfin Museum often makes the viewer overlook and sometimes miss the memorial all together. Nonetheless, the Waterfront Memorial at the USS Bowfin Museum and Park is a great one and is one that I will always remember.