In Jackson, Michigan, a unique memorial stands as a testament to collective memory. The Michigan U.S.S. Arizona memorial, featuring steel artifacts from two pivotal moments in American history, offers a sacred space where loss is remembered, strength is celebrated, and memories remain for future generations.

Jackson, Michigan, marked the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack by unveiling the Michigan U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Sparks Foundation County Park on December 7, 2021. The heart of this memorial is a steel plate from the U.S.S. Arizona, a tangible link to the past. Adjacent to it stands a matching case housing a steel beam from World Trade Center Tower #2. This space also features a memorial to local homicide victims, all crafted by local firm ALRO Steel. These monuments create a sacred space bridging collective memories of loss and resilience across generations.

Three seemingly unrelated memorials at Sparks Foundation Park honor lives lost in different tragedies, uniting individual grief into collective solace. Just as Jay Winter emphasized the significance of memorials as places of mourning, the Michigan U.S.S. Arizona Memorial allows the community to mourn together. This communal remembrance, as Larry Ray notes, forges a connection between the living and the departed, fostering emotional bonds across time. "Such sites create a community of the living and the dead by inviting visitors to join with an imagined community, where the living and the dead are commemorated and experienced, and contemporary people are emotionally bonded to the dead."

Steel binds these memorials together. The rusting steel plate from the U.S.S. Arizona resembles the Tower #2 beam, blurring the lines between tragedies. In Jackson, known as "the crossroads," steel has deep roots. Its strategic location between Chicago and Detroit fueled its industrial rise with numerous steel-related businesses. However, economic downturns and increased violence hit the city hard. Larry Mentink's son's murder in 1989 led to the Victims of Violent Crimes Memorial, offering solace to grieving families.

The World Trade Center's steel beam, received by the city, found a home beside the Jackson Victims of Violent Crimes Memorial in 2017. Along the park's circuitous footpath, the combined site attracts visitors and runners, highlighting the recurring theme of "metal" as a weapon against innocence.

Stan Mazur, an 84-year-old Navy veteran, saw an opportunity to add an artifact from the U.S.S. Arizona, representing another tragic attack on America. The Jackson County Commission officially requested it, and despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Michigan U.S.S. Arizona Memorial achieved completion for the 80th Pearl Harbor anniversary. A ceremony attended by diverse groups, including local veterans and blue-collar workers, honored Stanley Czarnecki, Jackson's sole U.S.S. Arizona casualty.

While this "sacred site of steel" remembers loss, it also embodies strength and resilience. Though the U.S.S. Arizona and the World Trade Center are gone, their steel endures, just as the American people have persevered through World War II, economic changes, and the Global War on Terrorism. Like these artifacts, their memories will persist.

(edited by Jennifer Schaper)

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Traumatic memory exists for everyone in different ways. The USS Arizona Memorial is an example of a memorial that elicits varying and complicated memories for many Americans.

My grandmother remembered the trauma of seeing her father rounded up by "FBI men" for questioning about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor mere hours after the attack itself had ended. As a young boy, our 4th-grade class studied World War II around the 50th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, resulting in classmates chastising me for having the last name "Yamamoto" and shouting, "IT WAS YOU, IT WAS YOUR FAMILY THAT BOMBED PEARL HARBOR!" Horrified, I ran home to my parents, asking them to tell me the truth about Pearl Harbor and what our family had done in World War II. They reassured me that my family was unrelated to Admiral Ikorodu Yamamoto and that my grandfathers proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. However, my trauma from that day in December 1991 remains and, in many ways, spurred my desire to know more about the place called Pearl Harbor.

As one of the United States Navy's most active homeports, Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a clear symbol of strength in the Indo-Pacific region. On the other side of the serene waters of the harbor stands a white marble structure lying above the remains of the USS Arizona, marking the boundary between strength and sorrow. The USS Arizona's existence within Pearl Harbor creates a historical paradox. Visitors are reminded of tremendous loss but, upon departure, are filled with enormous pride over America's role in World War II (WWII). The USS Arizona Memorial has changed over time to focus on the loss of life in Pearl Harbor and serve as a touchpoint for the detailed memory of all experiences in WWII.

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, resulted in the loss of 2,403 American lives, including 68 civilians, and the destruction or damage of 19 U.S. Navy ships, including eight battleships. The sinking of the USS Arizona claimed the lives of 1,177 sailors and marines, making it the most significant shipboard loss of life in American Naval history. These ships and their sacrifices add to the depth of memory contained at Pearl Harbor. While the USS Arizona serves as the Pearl Harbor National Memorial's touchpoint, visitors learn that many more ships and lives were lost that day.

As a result of the profound loss at Pearl Harbor, and especially aboard the USS Arizona, the Maui Rotary Club undertook attempts to memorialize the ship as early as 1942. In 1947, Hawaii businessman H. Tucker Gratz conceived of building a permanent memorial to the USS Arizona. He galvanized public support in Hawaii, and by 1949, the territory of Hawaii had designated the Pacific War Memorial Commission as the primary fundraiser for war memorials throughout the territory. In 1958, the USS Arizona Memorial's construction received authorization by Public Law 85-344. The law, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, created a public-private partnership between the Navy and the Pacific War Memorial Commission to construct the memorial. At that time, the focus for developing the USS Arizona Memorial remained singular; to memorialize the loss and sacrifice of the men and ships in Pearl Harbor. Little effort went to honor or mention the civilian toll or the aftermath of the attacks in Hawaii.

The memorial's formal dedication occurred on May 30, 1962, with Public Law 85-344 designating the Navy as the caretaker of the memorial. Although the public could now visit and pay respect to the fallen sailors and marines entombed in the USS Arizona, only a few historical and interpretive exhibits existed. In addition, the thousands of visitors who made the pilgrimage to Pearl Harbor were subject to the hot Hawaiian sun without shade while waiting for a naval ferry to take them to the shrine. Federal legislation introduced in 1973 provided "shore-side facilities for the education and convenience of visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor," thanks largely to the late Hawaii Senator and World War II veteran Daniel Inouye. Inouye's initial push for funding was met with resistance by the Navy's top brass, who were concerned that funding the memorial facilities would adversely impact the budget for other vital naval operations. Senator Inouye eventually succeeded in helping to obtain federal funding for shore-side facilities in 1977. "The opportunity to present the important historical significance and atmosphere of the shrine will be lost without a proper visitor center," according to Spencer Architects. Unfortunately, the first visitor center was small due to being a "holding area" for those visiting the shrine. In addition, the memorial continued to lack historical exhibition and interpretative areas and areas for quiet reflection.

The memorial, designed by Alfred Preis, spans the breadth of the wreckage of the USS Arizona, with no part of the memorial structure touching the ship itself. When one boards the memorial shrine, an exhibit board shows a side profile of the remains and details the damage done to the vessel by the Japanese attack. The structure consists of 21 openings, seven each on the memorial's fore, aft, and overhead sides, indicative of the 21-gun salute of high military honors. The two focal points of the memorial structure are the shrine room, which houses the memorial wall containing the names of the 1,177 killed that day, and the eternal tree of life, a design element conceived by Preis that represents rebirth after a tragedy. The memorial's effect is calmness and serenity, imploring visitors to observe in quiet reflection. Signage aboard the memorial structure advises visitors of "reverence and respect." After one's time aboard the memorial, visitors are loaded onto the navy ferry and brought back ashore. Each navy ferry operates by the USS Arizona Memorial Detachment, an active-duty Navy assignment considered a tremendous honor.

In 2008, massive renovations to the visitor center in hopes of providing more space for exhibits and contemplation took place, as well as telling the story of the local and Japanese American contribution to the war effort. The entire visitor center campus changed to provide a more coherent visitor experience with three main rooms of exhibits. The first one explores the pre-war state of the world, with visitors able to see Japan's rise to prominence throughout Asia. Visitors are shown various pictures and videos of daily shipboard life before December 7, 1941. The next room focuses on the attack itself; central to this room is a small theater for a video presentation explaining the event. The 3rd room focuses on the aftermath of the attack, focusing on civilian heroes. While it does not focus on the warfighting following Pearl Harbor, it does expose visitors to Japanese American contributions to World War II, including a large photo of the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, consisting of Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii.

Further, including a contemplation circle gives visitors a chance to gather their thoughts and emotions before departing the visitor center, a distinct change from the previous visitor center. The 3rd room also includes an exhibit of Sadako Sasaki, who passed away in 1955 due to her exposure to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This significant change in interpretation indicates an attempt by the National Park Service, and by extension, the American government, to tell a more holistic and nuanced story of World War II.

Returning full circle to the origins of the author's experiences as a Japanese-American, the new visitor center at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial gives a different sense of American patriotism. The narrative no longer focuses on Japan attacking America and that America responded with the best it could offer to win the war. The visitor center's history now includes America lashing out against innocent Japanese-Americans like my great-grandfather. This simple recognition is a huge step forward. All the while, the memorial shrine itself remains as a stoic reminder of the losses on December 7, 1941, with an inscription on the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific reminding visitors that "the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."

(edited by Brad Poss and Laura Bailey)

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It has been said we create memorials, so we never forget, and monuments so we always remember. The Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial provides its visitors a means of never forgetting the incomprehensible experiences of Japanese-Americans on the West Coast during World War II. It simultaneously recognizes the importance of remembering that citizens' freedom and rights are worth fighting for in America regardless of the foreign foe.

It is essential to examine the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorials history by focusing on the events leading to the Internment Decision, the Exclusion of the Japanese, and the impact on residents of Bainbridge Island. These factors influenced the desire to create the Memorial, its support, and the eventual design. It is a unique Northwest site of memory compared to other Japanese Memorials in the United States.

The attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to a nationwide anti-Japanese fervor in the United States that culminated in the Internment of over 120,000 Nikkei in several concentration camps inland of the West Coast. This act was legally sanctioned by Executive Order 9066.

Bainbridge Island, a small island eight miles from Seattle by boat, was an interracial rural community where 272 Japanese lived and worked in harmony with their neighbors. On March 30, 1942, given only six days advance notice, 227 residents of the island became the first Japanese-Americans to be removed from their homes. They were force-marched down the path leading to the Eagledale Ferry dock guarded by US soldiers, where they boarded the vessel for Seattle and an unknown destination. Eventually, 12,892 Washington residents found themselves relocated to concentration camps. Over time, the term for these camps has been softened to "internment camps" or "relocation camps" to avoid direct correlation with Holocaust concentration camps. Still, the phrase at the time was "concentration camps." Most of the Bainbridge Island Japanese would remain in camps until the end of the war, and many of the younger Nissei men would serve in the United States Army in Europe. Of the 272 Japanese-Americans who left Bainbridge Island, only 150 would eventually return. The injustice of incarcerating citizens for unfounded security fears would not bring an apology or reparations by the government until 1988.

Before their expulsion, Japanese-Americans had been an integral part of the Bainbridge Island community and were generally welcome in coming back. The Bainbridge Review, a local paper, was one of the only publications on the west coast that objected to the exclusion and reported updates on life in the camps. However, despite help from local friends who had remained, many had to start over when they returned to the island. The Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC) was founded after the war to assist those returning and new residents.
In 1988, directly after the passing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 by the United States Congress, the BIJAC partnered with the Bainbridge Island/North Kitsap Interfaith Council (Interface Council) to form the Bainbridge Island WWII Nikkei Internment and Exclusion Memorial Committee. This committee led fundraising efforts and partners with local politicians to receive federal funds for the project allowing it to proceed with partnership from the City of Bainbridge Island.

The first Memorial, a simple stone with an information plaque, was dedicated in 2002. Later that year, the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Memorial Study Act was passed into law, and progress resulted in the groundbreaking dedication in 2006. In 2008, the site received Federal Status and officially connected to the Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho.

The Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial has multiple sections planned in phases on the road once leading to the former Eagledale Ferry Dock site. Building the Memorial along the same path and same space where the Nikkei boarded the ferry off the island creates a link to the past that visitors to the site can envision. This experience also aligns with famous photos taken as the Nikkei walked to the ferry (Figure 1) that further "evokes the day of departure." The official vision is as follows:
The vision is for a memorial area that is evocative and contemplative with the power to instruct future generations about the injustices of the past and the fragility of assumed rights. Perhaps most importantly, the Memorial will commemorate and honor the strength and perseverance of the people involved and celebrates the capacity of human beings to heal, forgive and care for one another.

Local Native-American artist Jonpaul Jones was the designer of the Memorial. Jones has been honored nationally for "honoring the natural world and indigenous traditions" and designed the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Growing up in Oklahoma as a member of the Choctaw reservation brought a personal connection to the exclusion that influenced his design. "I'm an American-Indian, and I understand being sent away from your homeland." His design incorporates the area's landscape while combining Japanese and Pacific Northwest materials and building styles spaced over five acres of land.

Of the completed portions of the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial, the "story wall" is the most prominent feature and is meant to be the most thought-provoking. It intends to "convey a feeling of belonging, stability, and quiet strength…[and also to] convey a sense of slow and steady movement". Visitors move quickly to the wall past the information pavilion and solemnly walk down the path, reading the names and contemplating the friezes. Dozens of paper cranes hang from the wall as symbols of peace and add a living connection to the past. The Memorial can be uncomfortable to view as it poses the greatest generation in a way seldom seen. Depicted is an inherently bad light of racism and reactionary policies justified by "a means to an end." The monument captures the event while providing information on anti-Japanese bias after Pearl Harbor but does not go into great detail on racism or life in the camps. However, politicians and interned Nikkei pressed to ensure all visitors understand the focus on "Nidoto Nai Yoni." At the dedication ceremony, local politician Jay Inslee (and eventual state governor) alluded to this with "We don't sit in judgment of the past but in inspiration of the future."

Compared to other Japanese-American memorials to World War II, the Bainbridge Island Japanese Exclusion Memorial links most directly to the location and individuals. Its existence proves the desire of the Pacific Northwest Community to learn from its past. Monuments are not history, but the Memorial urges us to "feel" history and tie the past to the present and the future through specific victim imagery and comfortable Northwest styling.

With remembrance, there is also a notion of guilt by creating the Memorial and paying community reparation for the mistreatment of Japanese-Americans on the very site where it occurred. The Bainbridge Review, along with others in the community, fought specifically against racial bias that attempted to prevent the return of the Nikkei to the island. The Review's owners, Bob and Milly Woodward, hosted heated community forums on the Japanese. They fought for the rights of their friends as American citizens regardless of their nationality.

A specific effort acts as evidence connecting the Japanese-Americans that were an integral part of the local schools, businesses, and social community before the exclusion and after the war. One frieze depicts a Japanese boy in a Bainbridge High School baseball uniform. It is an attempt to show the Japanese were "just like us," playing baseball for the local high school they attended with local [and as] residents. This example helps the viewer embrace the sense of guilt and disgrace to exclude "good citizens."

Sharing the local history of Bainbridge Island, the Memorial's creation, the direct design decisions, and the reaction to the monument creates an understanding of why the monument exists. It will be a supported part of Bainbridge Island for years to come. The motto "Let it Not Happen Again" is intended never to forget what happened to Japanese Americans in World War II. It is also a promise by a community always to remember.

(edited by Laura Bailey)

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