NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY of the PACIFIC
(Punchbowl Cemetery)
Memorial
Day honors all who served in the military and took an oath to protect their
country, the United States of America. The annual ceremony held at the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl in Honolulu reflects the pride of
all who served and the appreciation of those whose freedoms have been defended.
National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known locally as “Punchbowl Cemetery”
occupies much of Punchbowl Crater. It has a small chapel and a tribute to the
battles fought in the Pacific. It honors the men and women who served in the
United States Armed Forces.
On Memorial Day, each grave is draped with a flag
and a hand strung Hawaiian lei.
The statue of Lady Columbia
is also known as Lady Liberty, or Justice.
She stands 30 feet high.
IN THESE GARDENS
ARE RECORDED
THE NAMES OF
AMERICANS
WHO GAVE THEIR
LIVES
IN THE SERVICE
OF THEIR COUNTRY
AND WHOSE
EARTHLY RESTING PLACE
IS KNOWN ONLY TO
GOD
(plaque behind wreath)
All photographs taken today, May 26, 2014
during the Memorial Day ceremony
at Punchbowl in Honolulu.
 |
| Retiring of the Colors |
 |
| All graves are decorated with flags and leis for Memorial Day |
 |
| Hand strung Hawaiian leis placed at each gravesite |
The Memorial Day ceremony culminates each year with a 21-gun salute, which constitutes the sum total of 1776, the year of our independence; the playing of the national anthem by the Royal Hawaiian Band; and the retiring of the colors.
Hi Gail .. wonderful to see how each grave is commended and thanked .. and what a lovely tribute to all the fallen ...
ReplyDeleteReally lovely to see ..thanks so much for sharing .. cheers Hilary
Thanks for sharing this tribute and these lovely photos with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hilary and Deniz. It is a moving experience to see all the grave sites honored with the patriotic flag and the lei, a symbol of love and Aloha.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tribute to how Hawaii honours their soldiers. The gardens are stunning in a very emotional way. Our youngest serves as a Staff Sergeant in the Armed Forces in Canada and did a tour in Afghanistan. While we are very proud, we were constantly on edge, and still are. Even as I type this, my insides tremble at the thought of the unrest in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, Gail, and for sharing this post.
Thank you for visiting, Joylene. My prayers go out to you and your family until your son's safe return from his station in Afghanistan.
ReplyDelete