A story was recently passed on to me, by a friend with Holland America Lines, about a 106-year-old woman on a 28-day cruise to Alaska and Hawaii. That fact, by itself, is just amazing, but her story is even more incredible. 

Alice Darrow, a Navy nurse, met her husband, Dean, at Mare Island Navy Hospital in California. Dean was injured on December 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Thrown from the USS West Virginia, he sustained burns and scrapes but managed to recover and was sent back to duty in the South Pacific. 

A few months later, Dean had medical complications that led to doctors finding a bullet, from the Pearl Harbor attack, lodged in his heart. He was sent to Mare Island for surgery to have it removed, survived, and met the love of his life. Alice and Dean married and kept that bullet as a memory of their love story. 

Dean passed in 1991, but Alice kept the relic close and, decades later, decided to share their story by donating it to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial Museum. She stated, “I’ve held onto this bullet for so long because it meant everything to us, but I know it belongs in a place where others can understand what it represents—not just for Dean and me, but for all who served and sacrificed.” 

Alice has traveled extensively with her daughter and son-in-law in the past, but long flights are now a challenge. They chose to travel to Hawaii on the Holland America Line’s Westerdam, out of Seattle. The 28-Day Legendary Glaciers & Volcanoes: Alaska to Hawaii round-trip cruise provided a safe and relaxing way to get to her destination. 

On September 18, once they arrived at Honolulu, Alice and her family were taken to the Pearl Harbor Museum, where the bullet was received by staff and will be displayed for all to see and learn the history behind it. 

How wonderful to live to the age of 106 (and beyond) and still be able to experience new adventures and realize a dream to share such an important part of her life.