By Mallory Swogger '20

When you think of Hawaii, you think of beaches, palm trees, the ocean, and sunshine, right? While all of those things are accurate representations of the Aloha State, there's something else you can't find anywhere else in the world: Pearl Harbor. On our second day off in Hawaii, the softball team got to visit this infamous destination. We had the amazing opportunity to honor the 2,335 dead and remember all of those who served and sacrificed on December 7th, 1941. We were able to tour the USS Arizona Memorial while there, bringing to surface the somber tones also found in the Hawaiian Islands. Before leaving the memorial, we were blessed to meet, get a picture with, and get some autographs from Pearl Harbor survivor, Robert Lee. The emotions that simply being on site provoked are something that will stay with myself and my teammates for the rest of our lives.

After concluding our tour and time at Pearl Harbor, we packed into the vans and moved to the beaches of Waikiki to enjoy the afternoon! During our afternoon here, we soaked up the sun (some of us a little too much) and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Some members of the team got to live the true Hawaiian experience, going paddle boarding and getting to see sea turtles and even an octopus! After a long day we headed back to the hotel with souvenirs and memories that will last a lifetime, to switch from soaking up the sun to soaking up the aloe, bandage up the wounds of some hard-fought battles against the coral reefs, and get ready for Game Day, Take 2!!

Click Here for a photo gallery of images from our time at Pearl Harbor.