Growing up in a family where many have served in the Air Force, Army, and Navy, military history is something that intrigues me. Last year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic arriving in the United States, my husband Ryan (who serves in the Army National Guard) and I visited the islands of Kauai and Oahu in Hawaii. My brother-in-law currently serves active-duty in the Army and was stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at the time, so he brought us around the base to show us all the history – including the USS Arizona Memorial. I visited the USS Arizona Memorial back in 2001 (prior to 9/11) when my parents, both retired U.S. Air Force veterans, brought me there and I remember how moving it was; however, seeing it 18 years later had a whole new meaning for me…
