360° panorama by Gil Abadines.
Click the image to open the interactive version.
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- For Memory and Country - Aboard the tender, as it gently approached the Arizona Memorial, I sat quietly—surrounded by the soft hum of the water, the whispers of history, and the slow, solemn rhythm of the waves. Above me, a sky thick with cumulus clouds cast a silvery light over the harbor. The moment felt suspended in time. With my 360 camera extended on its pole, I captured this panorama—not just to record a place, but to honor a presence. I carried with me the memory of my grandfather, Carmelo Garcia Raagas—a guerrilla fighter who stood against the darkness during World War II. He fought to liberate the Philippines, side by side with others who refused to give up their homeland to tyranny. His courage helped shape the freedom my generation has known. As the tender drew closer to the Memorial, I felt the weight of sacrifice—not just his, but that of an entire generation. Men who never returned. Families forever changed. Ideals fiercely defended. And yet, in the shadow of this sacred place, I couldn’t shake a quiet sadness. Because what I see in today’s world—the disunity, the erosion of truth, the fading sense of collective purpose—feels like the antithesis of everything they fought for. The United States of America… right now, it feels more like an idea than a reality. Still, I hold on to hope. Maybe this image, taken in a fleeting, sacred moment, can remind us that honor, courage, and freedom aren’t just historical footnotes. They are calls to action—for us, now. This panorama is a tribute. A prayer. A memory carved in light. May we remember. May we do better. May we still be worthy of their sacrifice.
Click the image to open the interactive version.
- For Memory and Country - Aboard the tender, as it gently approached the Arizona Memorial, I sat quietly—surrounded by the soft hum of the water, the whispers of history, and the slow, solemn rhythm of the waves. Above me, a sky thick with cumulus clouds cast a silvery light over the harbor. The moment felt suspended in time. With my 360 camera extended on its pole, I captured this panorama—not just to record a place, but to honor a presence. I carried with me the memory of my grandfather, Carmelo Garcia Raagas—a guerrilla fighter who stood against the darkness during World War II. He fought to liberate the Philippines, side by side with others who refused to give up their homeland to tyranny. His courage helped shape the freedom my generation has known. As the tender drew closer to the Memorial, I felt the weight of sacrifice—not just his, but that of an entire generation. Men who never returned. Families forever changed. Ideals fiercely defended. And yet, in the shadow of this sacred place, I couldn’t shake a quiet sadness. Because what I see in today’s world—the disunity, the erosion of truth, the fading sense of collective purpose—feels like the antithesis of everything they fought for. The United States of America… right now, it feels more like an idea than a reality. Still, I hold on to hope. Maybe this image, taken in a fleeting, sacred moment, can remind us that honor, courage, and freedom aren’t just historical footnotes. They are calls to action—for us, now. This panorama is a tribute. A prayer. A memory carved in light. May we remember. May we do better. May we still be worthy of their sacrifice.