A Poignant Moment...

Elder Bentley and I were exploring Hickam Air Field today.  We drove all around, often getting lost as it is a very, very large base.  We found lots of housing for the military families.  It was interesting to see the variety.  Many of the buildings and homes were built in the 1930's and 1940's (I believe) and looked very art deco which I found very attractive.  We know that we will have to use maps and GPS to find families when we visit as it is very complex getting around!

We found a small golf course and they told us where to find the large golf course which took us on a long drive around the perimeter of the base and next to the Honolulu airport. Near the golf course, was a small beach that I had often seen when flying in or out.  The water is a spectacular shade of turquoise and it was amazing to see it up close.  

We drove back and then came upon a park that was on the channel where the ships go in and out of Pearl Harbor.  There is no beach or swimming but it was very nice and had a long walking/running path through it.  Next to it was the Historic Hickam Officer's Club.  We stepped inside just to see it and there were some very interesting old photos and chandeliers that I thought resembled pineapples.

What brought reality back was a short walk to the the Missing Man Formation Memorial.  It showed 
four planes held up by curved pillars, three of which were flying forward and the fourth flying upward.  It honors those who have died while serving their country.  As we were looking at it, a large ship came through the passage on it's way out to sea.  We were gawking at it looming so large, when a young woman with a phone at her ear came up and began vigorously waving.  Across the water, we could see a man on the ship waving back.  They stood there waving while we could barely keep from crying.  Then she abruptly gave one last wave and hurried away.  It brought home just what hard sacrifices our military and their families are making for all of us Americans!