USS Arizona Memorial

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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