I was stationed in Hawaii twice in my military career and now reside on Oahu. I have been to the USS Arizona numerous times with visiting friends and family. The many upgrades to the visitor’s center and visitor experience over the years is outstanding and only gets better with each tweaking. I always tell my guests you cannot visit Oahu without visiting the USS Arizona. Seeing the movie prior to visiting the memorial sets the tone and no matter how many times I visit I am overcome with a profound sense of sadness for all the men interred below the memorial; sadness for all the lives lost that fateful day and also a tremendous sense of pride and thankfulness for being an American. Sadly, the men and women of the “greatest generation” are leaving this earth. This memorial remains a testament to countless men & women who served and especially those who were there on “that day of infamy.”
Sincerely,
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Lying beneath the surface of the calm waters of Pearl Harbor, just outside downtown Honolulu are the remains of the USS Arizona and the more than 1,000 members of the boat's crew who lost their lives when it sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A stark white memorial rises out of the water above the sunken ship to commemorate the Arizona sailors and all of the civilians and servicemen and women who were killed on that "date which will live in infamy." Parts of the ship can be seen from the memorial, as well as dark slicks from the oil that still leaks from the ship more than 65 years later. The interior of the memorial displays the names of all the Arizona sailors who perished along with the names of crew members who survived the Pearl Harbor attack yet chose to be buried with their shipmates.
State(s): Hawaii
Established: 1980
“We need to preserve a legacy to future Americans to experience the beauty of this wonderful country and to remember the valor of those who made it great.”
National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!
Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.
You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.
In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!
Here’s your unique story page link:
{{ storyUrl }}-
Greetings from Pearl Harbor National Memorial
My two-week trip to Hawaii in June of 2000, came at the end of a three-month backpacking trip in the South Pacific (a reward to myself for passing the CPA exam). I used an Island hopper pass to tour five Islands. By the time I arrived back in Oahu, I’d…
-
Greetings from New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
This summer, my friends and I held our annual camping trip in New River Gorge National Park. As young adults, (some of us are still students) a lot of vacation spots are out of our price range, but public lands like national parks allow us to spend time together without…
-
Greetings from Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park
The Brown v Board of Education National Historical Site has been the homecoming of the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court case that allowed equal access to schools to end segregation.
Preserve Our Parks
Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.
Donate Now