Pearl Harbor National Memorial Audio Guide

Pearl Harbor National Memorial: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Pearl Harbor National Memorial

   Welcome to Pearl Harbor National Memorial, on the island of Oahu, northwest of central Honolulu. This is a unit of the National Park System, and its address is One Arizona Memorial Place. It is a commemorative site of about 21 acres, set beside the harbor where the story of the United States in World War Two began. Here the National Park Service honors the lives affected by the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. That morning, Japan struck the United States Pacific Fleet, fearing American intervention against its imperial expansion in Asia. The attack pulled the United States into World War Two, and its effects were felt by nations and communities around the world. Over the next few sections, we will look at how this memorial came to be, at the white structure floating above the battleship Arizona, at the other memorials and historic remnants that belong to the story, and at the wider arc that takes us from a day of surprise to the end of the war. Take a breath, slow your pace, and let the water set the tone. This is a place made for reflection.

2. 02

   The Memorial Above the Arizona

   The centerpiece for most visitors is the Arizona Memorial. It marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on the battleship Arizona during the attack. Think about that number for a moment, because it means the ship is still, in a very real sense, a grave. The memorial sits over the submerged vessel off Ford Island. The legislation that authorized and funded it in 1961 stated that the Arizona would be maintained in honor and commemoration of the members of the Armed Forces who gave their lives to their country during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1962, before about 200 invited guests, among them Pearl Harbor survivors, military leaders, Hawaii officials, and clergy. The visit includes a ride out to the memorial on the Navy-operated shuttle boat, time at the structure, and the journey back. The boat ride is part of the experience. Crossing the water slowly gives you time to prepare for what you are about to see.

3. 03

   Alfred Preis and a Design Once Mocked

   The memorial was designed by Alfred Preis, a Honolulu architect, and his own story is a striking one. Preis was born in Austria, and at the start of the war he was detained at Sand Island as an enemy of the country because of that birth. Not many years later, he was shaping the national memorial to the very attack that had changed his own circumstances. His design was not embraced at once. Critics initially derided it as resembling a squashed milk carton. Time has been kind to it, though. Today its stark white concrete, set against blue water, is one of the most recognizable and moving forms in American architecture. As you approach, look at the structure as a whole rather than at any single detail. It is deliberately simple, and it sits quietly on the harbor rather than rising above it. Notice how that restraint leaves room for the water, the sky, and your own thoughts to do the speaking.

4. 04

   More Than One Memorial

   Although the Arizona draws the crowds, the story here is wider. The Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, the Utah and Oklahoma memorials, six Chief Petty Officer bungalows on Ford Island, and the mooring quays from Battleship Row were gathered together under the name World War Two Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and each tells part of how the United States entered the war. The mooring quays are a good reminder that these were working waters, where great ships once lay side by side. The administration of the site has changed over time, too. The public memorial was first overseen by the United States Navy, then handed to the National Park Service in 1980. Then, on March 12, 2019, an act of Congress removed Pearl Harbor National Memorial from the World War Two Valor in the Pacific National Monument. If you are planning your day, remember that the visitor center is the place to set your navigation if you are driving. Allow time to explore the wider site instead of heading straight for the boat.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Pearl Harbor stands in American memory as a symbol of surprise attack, sacrifice, and national unity. It also connects to the end of the story. Nearly four years after the attack, the global conflict concluded with Japan's surrender aboard the battleship Missouri. The beginning and the ending of the war for America are tied to the same harbor. The memorial has also been a place where the present meets the past. In December 2016, President Barack Obama and Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, remembered the Pearl Harbor dead together during a visit to the Arizona Memorial. As you move on, keep a few questions with you. How does a quiet white structure on the water carry so much weight? What changes when you stand where history began, instead of reading about it? Look again at the harbor, and let the answers arrive in their own time.