Pearl Harbor National Memorial

On By nationalparkswithtIn Hawaii

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When I first visited Pearl Harbor in the eighties, it was called the Arizona Memorial. In 2008, President George Bush made it part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument which included sites in California and Alaska as well as Pearl Harbor.

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Now it is a separate unit again. Legislation in March 2019 designated it The Pearl Harbor National Memorial. It is run by the National Park Service in cooperation with the US Navy. Since we were visiting only a month after the law passed, they hadn’t yet changed the sign.

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The Memorial commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the United States’ subsequent entry into WWII. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and other areas on Oahu in a two-wave surprise attack. They sank or damaged nearly every vessel in the Harbor, killing over 2400 people.

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Though devastating, the attack did not cripple the US fleet as our aircraft carriers (Japan’s intended target) were out at sea. And most of the damaged vessels were raised, repaired and sent back into action. Only the USS Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma could not be recovered.

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The Arizona still rests where she fell and serves as a burial ground for the thousand crewmen whose bodies could not be recovered. The US Navy has given the survivors the option to be buried there when they pass to be reunited with their brothers-at-arms.

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In 1962, a concrete memorial was erected over the Arizona’s remains so that visitors could pay their respects. The boat ramp to the memorial was damaged last year, closing it to the public. Our Navy-run boat tour took us along Battleship Row near the memorial but did not dock there.

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This closure prevented the survivors from coming to Hawaii to observe the anniversary in December 2018. The park hopes to complete repairs in time for the 2019 anniversary. There are only a few survivors left and they are quite elderly.

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The USS Missouri is positioned so that it faces the Arizona Memorial. Together, they represent the beginning and the end of the United State’s war with Japan. The Missouri was the site of the Japanese Empire’s surrender.

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Do not be discouraged from visiting while the Arizona Memorial is still closed. Visiting Pearl Harbor is a moving experience even without boarding the actual structure over the Arizona. Military personnel are on hand to talk about the events of the day and they, along with the  museum and film presentation, do an excellent job of humanizing the story.

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Oahu Posts:

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Location: 1 Arizona Memorial Place, Honolulu, HI, 96818

Designation: National Memorial

Date established/designated: March 12, 2019

Date of my visit: April 20, 2019

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This Tree of Life design is incorporated into the Arizona Memorial. It is a symbol of renewal meant to evoke contemplation.

27 thoughts on “Pearl Harbor National Memorial”

  1. When the Arizona Memorial reopens, it’s worth mentioning the feeling one might face when inside. For me, I could feel the presence of those sailors and marines who had their names etched into the walls. It was 1984, one month before I was to enter into the Marine Corps. Tears flowed throughout the entire tour. It was an extreme spiritual moment for me even though I knew none of them nor was I related to any of those souls. I hope your readers have an opportunity to visit when it reopens. Thank you for posting on “a day that will live in infamy”.

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    1. Thanks for your comments and for your service 🙏🏻 I think they have finally repaired the boat ramp ( I wrote this post a few months ago), so hopefully the survivors will be there today for the ceremony.

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  6. Pingback: Pearl Harbor National Memorial | researchesofjoannemariesworld

  7. Kings On the Road

    Congrats on a great post on Pearl Harbor day. We visited in 2015 before our NCL cruise of the Hawaiian Islands.

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  8. Thanks for a timely post. An uncle serving in the Navy survived the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and my degree in history focused on WWII/European history. I’ve always found this topic fascinating.

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  11. On our visit, this Memorial seemed so out of place from the surrounding tropical landscape surrounding it. History happens in some of the most improbable places it seems.

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  12. I have been there four times and I never get tired of visiting here. I have students that do not know the significance of December 7th and that is sad. We are doomed to repeat history when we don’t know it (9/11).

    Great write up! I am glad your trip to Hawaii was so successful. It’s nice to revisit places I have been to in the past.

    I saw your likes. Thank you. Next year you should visit the Christmas decorations of the Hudson River Valley. The Hudson Valley is spectacular from October through January.

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    1. Thanks, yes it is sad…I don’t think some of the younger generation even understands 9/11…my daughter says they don’t observe a moment of silence that day in school. They only did something once, when our town was given a piece of the wtc steel and it was transported by a procession of fire trucks to its resting place in the park. The kids lined up on the sidewalks to observe the procession.
      Yes, I saw your Christmas Vanderbilt post…that must be something to see. When I visited a couple of years ago, they were still bringing the furnishings back in after having emptied the place for window restoration. Carpets rolled up, drop cloths everywhere. I’d like to revisit to see it all put together

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