Pearl Harbor and “A date which will live in infamy”

I visited our country’s Pacific naval base many years ago on an orchestra trip. We were returning from a three week tour of China and had a few days in Hawaii on the journey home. I was only fifteen at the time, but I remember the place, haunting but beautiful. I remember looking down in the seawater, watching oil seep to the surface from the sunken Arizona battleship. I remember the Memorial, blazing white in the midday sun. At that time it was difficult for me to understand the attack on my country years before. A strange juxtaposition arose in my mind because at the same time of our stay, the Japanese were remembering the 40th anniversary of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. I felt confused about how humans could act so viciously towards other humans, and yet i was passionate about defending our honor. It was a day of awakening in a young boy. A day of grown up questions which had no answers. Please take a moment and reflect on the peace and tranquility of the image below, remembering each human that gave their live to preserve humanity’s path.

Fields in West Chester

Nikon D800 Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 28mm f/20 ISO 100 5 image HDR