Best Tourism On Hawaii

[lnuss]

What's a Yu Darvish?

[CarlOrton]

What's a Yu Darvish?

Well, since I dunno if you're kidding or not, he's one of the Rangers' best pitchers (well, still coming off surgery) who had rockstar status in Japan before he came to the US.

[lnuss]

Thanks. I just barely follow football, these days, and the other sports not at all. And the name is so unusual that I didn't know if it was a person or a gadget or some pop-culture thing. So thanks for the clarification.

[FlyingRon]

I thought Pearl Harbor as a giant tourist trap.

I didn't get that impression at all, or maybe I misunderstand what you mean by "tourist trap."

The time I was there mid day there were indeed a lot of people, but it's hardly the scene I've seen at other touristy locations (and I've lived and worked in the DC area all my life).
I was there first thing in the morning the second time I went, and it was practically empty (In fact, we walked in and the ranger asked if we wanted to go to the Arizona as they had seats available on the next departure). The area around the launch has a nice little museum and not particularly "tourist trappy" compared to other attractions even on Hawaii.
By the time you get over to Ford Island for the Air Museum or the Missouri, you've left most of even that behind.

[L16 Pilot]

I don't know just probably for all the crowds that were there (it was July) and I guess I expected more reverence all things considered. I'm also an Air Force vet. I did take one of the bus tours that included many of the 'sites' so maybe I shouldn't complain but as I mentioned visiting the Punchbowl Cemetery was my highlight because I had a specific reason to do it and I recently had the pleasure of meeting the B29 pilots son who was born about two months after his father was killed in Japan (now interred in Hawaii).

[Bill Greenwood]

L16 , your story about your friend in the B-29 brings some reality to what for most of us is a distant story. Sorry for their loss. How were you able to find out exactly what happened to the crew?
I haven't been to Punchbowl, but have been to other military cemetaries. All were well kept but to me sad with acres of crosses or stars, the reality of war.
As for the sites at Pearl being crowded, other people want to see these also. If you go somewhere where no one wants to go, whats the point? The Air and Space Musem on the mall is an example of lots of people, but a great place to visit.

[Zack Baughman]

Not exactly military related, but if I were in Oahu, I'd definitely do this - Magnum, P.I. helicopter tour!

https://paradisecopters.com/tours/oa.../#.WE8Uvn2jpjc

[CarlOrton]

Never thought it was tourist-trappy, either.

Have been a few times, most recently in 2012. Best time was 1982 on our honeymoon. Got married May 29th and headed West. We visited June 1st, the day after Memorial Day (Punchbowl same day...). Our tour group was able to arrive at the much less structured Pearl Harbor departure spot just before they raised the colors. At the time (I imagine they still do...) they had a multi-service band playing the National Anthem, each service hymn, Stars and Stripes Forever, and I can't remember the others. Eye watering. I have never felt such patriotism.

[L16 Pilot]

Bill, the waist gunner on the B29 was the brother of a friend of mine. He was one of the three able to bail out and eventually executed by the Japanese. I had started researching on behalf of the Baumgarten family, able to get a copy of the missing crew report, located the pilots (or as they called them on the B29 "aircraft commander) son who was able to furnish some information and a number of photos. Eventually I had enough material that I was prompted by my daughter and son in law to write a small book of about 110 pages which I self published. I've sold or given away about 250 copies but my major focus was to get a copy to each of the 11 crew member families. So far I've been able to accomplish that to eight families and still searching for the other three. I guess their response has been typical as the 90 year old sister of the tail gunner wrote back to me "Thank you for your book and research. We never knew what happened as it was never talked about....too painful". If you google "Baumgarten and the B29 Empire Express" there are a number of articles on the research and the book. I was a technical college teacher so I've always described the writing as 'nuts and bolts'. Hope this is helpful.

[Bill Greenwood]

L16 I have a very small connection to Enola Gay. The tail gunner was Bob Caron who lived in Denver some years ago. I met him, we were both CAF members and I was asked by a friend for a small loan to help them publish his book on the Atomic Bomb mission over Hiroshima. I did, and belive it or not, they even repayed my loan. His book, FIRE OF A THOUSAND SUNS, subtitle "I saw it first" referring to his viewpoint in the tail being closed to the explosion. It came out, 1995, same day as some big event and didnt get full media notice. He just seemed like a normal guy, you wouldnt pick him out of a crowd, and he was kind of quiet, really not like Tibbets. The CAF had Fifi on display at the original Denver airport before Pena and his investors moved it out of town, and he and I were there. Lots of airline guys coming over to tour the plane and two young Frontier pilots were climbing through and asking lots of questions. One said, "Sir, you seem to know a lot about B-29s?" and Bob said that he had been crew on Enola and these guys eyes got real big.
Strange thing is that I am somewhat "middle ground" about the Atomic bomb mission, but I didnt have much trouble deciding to help with the book. Ardent Bomb proponent always frame the question in simple black and white, ie use the bomb or invade right away and they often quote sky high casualty estimates. Little attention is given to use of conventional bombing while intensifying diplomatic contacts and efforts for a negotiated peace, especially since Japan had no offensive military strength left. Some negotiations had begun through Swiss and the main point of honor to Japan, the survival of emperor Hirohito was accepted in principal by both sides. And there was Russia also. I think it is sad the the 2nd bomb drop was started only 48 hours later, not given much room for negotiation and both targets were civilian cities, not some military base with those who started the war. But looking through Pres Truman's eyes, IN THE C0NTEXT OF 1945, would more favor prompt use of the Bomb. His job was to end the war, not primarily concern with civilians. Churchill was told of the Bomb before the mission, ( Stalin was not) and he was in support.
The whole Bomb story is immense, and there is an about 800 page book on it In depth about the brillant minds who developed it and all the secrecy. One part most people dont know is that there was a commuitte to try to find the best target for the Bomb, hopefully military not civilan but in the end Hiroshima was it.
That one bomb did about what 334 B-29s had done in the first low level raid on Tokyo and changed the course of how we look at war now.
One can google Jan 25, 1995 and find a case where Russia picked up radar report that looked like a U S missle launch, turned out to be a research rocket in Norway.
P S, this started out to be about tourism on Oahu and grew, my Son is going to Japan soon and I was just thinking if I went would I want to see the Bomb locations in Hiroshima etc? Not sure if I would.