My dad and little brother came to visit for the first time. It’s their first time in Hawaii. His visit came at a good time since there were a lot of Veteran’s Day remembrances happening around the island and a visit to the Pearl Harbor USS Arizona and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl were in order. My dad is a Vietnam Veteran.
He loves history, especially military and war history.
This past Sunday the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific had a new memorial dedicated to those who served and lost their lives in the Vietnam War. When we arrived this Tuesday morning, my dad gravitated to this memorial. He was like a planet orbiting the sun, making his way around it scanning all the names, ranks and branch of service etched in the massive walls of the monument. He showed me on the map where he served. His finger traced the lines of the map of Vietnam starting at Long Binh, going north toward the Iron Triangle where the Vietcong were en masse. His eyes and mind surveyed the map and his finger followed his thoughts encircling the war zone… wandering over the the west where he pointed to Phan Rang where he met my volunteer Thai mother, finally pointing and landing for a few seconds south on the red line where he told me he almost died. He was riding in a helicopter delivering some artillery that was being heavily shot at from the ground by the Vietcong. Emotions overcame him as he let his mind take him to that moment in his history. My dad has always told me that he served so that his brothers didn’t have to. He served two tours in Vietnam.
My dad moved his way upward to the steps to explore. I stayed back quietly and tried to document as much as I could of this visit.
The memorial is massive and solemn. It’s quiet and peaceful and you are allowed to wander, read and ponder. The inscription on this wall is written by President Lincoln written to Mrs. Bixby, a bereaved mother of 5 sons who died during the civil war: “The solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom”. The statue holds an olive branch.
Ya, dad’s a proud Californian, but I’m trying to change that and get him and my mom to move to Hawaii to be closer to us.
I’m really happy that I was able to take my dad here yesterday. I know these small gestures make him happy, it somehow releases a little bit of the pain that he holds and has buried deep in his heart scarred many decades ago.
Veteran’s Day passed quietly with a trip to the local mall and an afternoon of watching football. Thank you to my dad and all those who have served and are currently serving our country. Much Aloha, ~j
