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Description:

Punchbowl Crater is an extinct volcano that the Hawaiians used to do human sacrifices. Why did the U.S. military think it was a good idea to turn it into a graveyard for soldiers who died in the service of the U.S.? I mean, how ironic can you get without meaning to be?

There are 33,000 people buried here (compared to Fairbanks, Alaska, which has a living population of 31,000), the U.S. military dead from four different wars. It's one of the big scenic attractions in Honolulu, and as a connoisseur of graveyards, I was excited to visit it.

Unfortunately, it turned out to not only be boring, but sad. 33,000 people who died fighting for their country, each commemorated by... a small plaque set in the ground, which tells their name, the dates they existed, and maybe what branch of the service they were in. Sometimes not even that -- lots of plaques are missing last names, and there are lots of unknown dead buried here.

But the view of Honolulu from the edges of the crater turned out to be worth the trip.

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My Life in Hawai'i

Tags:

cemetery , scenic , graveyard , memorial , boring , morbid