IWO JIMA TRIP PART 1

THIS IS ONE FOR THE BOOKS....FOLLOW ME THROUGHOUT MY RECENT TRIP EXPLORING THE PACIFIC BATTLEGROUNDS OF OUR GREATEST GENERATION!!

This is the beginning of a number of days I spent recently on a journey to the Pacific. I will be sharing a day to day journal of this adventure.

Friday, March 17th....After 13-hours, and two plane rides, I arrived a bit weary at our hotel in Honolulu on Waikiki Beach. I settled in and began my planning and reconnaissance for the next two days before the official trip began. I tried my very best to stay awake as long as I could. I made it to around 10:30 p.m. which would have been 4:30 a.m. back home due to the six-hour difference. Needless to say, I was pretty zoned out by then.

Saturday, March 18th....I tried my best to stay busy and had a very full day. After breakfast, I arranged my very first Uber trip. By the end of the day, and four Uber rides later, I became very proficient with the Uber app on my phone.

My first goal was to begin my tribute to my two Great Uncles who were killed in action and are buried at the Punch Bowl Cemetery, which is the Veterans Cemetery for the Pacific.

It is a very tranquil place.

It's also very well organized and I had little trouble locating both their gravesites and spending some time with them.

You will hear more about these two men who gave their lives for our country later in my sojourn.

I then Ubered back to the hotel, had a quick lunch and then headed out to hike up Diamond Head. I had done this back in 1992 and I recall it being easier back then. Of course, I was 31 years younger. It's only 1.6 miles up and back but it was no picnic. However, the views are breathtaking and nothing was going to stop me from completing my mission. 

It has quite a history and is worth the effort if you ever get out that way. This is a picture of me inside one of the gun emplacements on Diamond Head.

The trip is off to an exciting start. STAY TUNED!