President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump paid their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii on Friday.
They placed a wreath in front of the white marble wall, which has the name of 1,177 crewmen who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
After standing for about a minute in front of the wall, they threw white pikake flower petals into the water where the remains of more than 900 Arizona crewmen rest.
The President and the first lady were accompanied by Admiral Harris and his wife during their visit to the shrine.
“It is very special being in Hawaii,” Trump told reporters on Friday.
When asked about his visit to Pearl Harbor, Trump told reporters he had studied it before, but has never seen it. “That is going to be very exciting for me,” he said.
Upon arriving in Hawaii they were met with a group of around 100 enthusiastic military and civilian supporters.
Several women in the crowd had shouted to White House Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly, “We love you General Kelly!” According to White House pool reporters who were there, Kelly responded by smiling and placing his right hand over his heart.
As chief of staff, Kelly is known to keep a low profile, and is often praised by Trump at rallies and speeches for his great work.
The president received a garland of maile and ilima flowers, a combination traditionally presented to royalty on the island.
During their stay in Hawaii, the president stopped by the Trump International Hotel Waikiki, about a quarter mile from the Ritz, where he and his wife spent the night.
“The President stopped by the Trump Hotel on his way to the airport,“ White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said. ”It has been a tremendously successful project and he wanted to say hello and thank you to the employees for all their hard work.”
During his visit to Hawaii, Trump received two military briefings from Pacific Command leaders.
Trump wrote on Twitter, “Thank you to our GREAT Military/Veterans and @PacificCommand.”
“A day I’ll never forget.”
An important part of Trump’s 12-day visit to Asia is dealing with the North Korean threat to the region. The White House has been using diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea in an attempt to get it to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Trump has met with top military leaders on multiple occasions in recent months. Defense Secretary General Jim Mattis has said a wide range of military options has been prepared and told Congress last week that scenarios of a nuclear attack are rehearsed routinely.
President Trump left Hawaii on Saturday to travel to Japan where he will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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