I've said this many times and will say it once again, Pearl Harbor is the Gettysburg of the Pacific. To put this in perspective Gettysburg is the site of the turning point in the American Civil War. I am fortunate to have visited both sites. Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of World War II for the United States. It is the site of both the USS Arizona and now the USS Missouri, which are in close proximity to each other. The USS Missouri is significant too, it symbolizes the ending to World War II. Germany had already signed an unconditional Act of Military Surrender on 7 May 1945.
On 2 September 1945 The USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay, was boarded by high ranking military officials from China, United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Australia and other countries. Shortly thereafter Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur boarded the USS Missouri, followed by the Japanese delegation headed by foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. After a speech, General MacArthur signed some documents and the war was officially over.
I captured the below photographs of the USS Arizona and USS Missouri. The first photograph is of the USS Arizona Memorial. The Arizona lies directly beneath the memorial. Throughout the years many survivors have had their ashes interred here.
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| USS ARIZONA THE BEGINNING WWII |
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| USS MISSOURI THE END OF WWII |
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| USS ARIZONA AND USS MISSOURI |
War is a tragedy, and to amplify this statement, below is just a short list of the major countries involved in World War II showing the death toll for both military and civilians combined.
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