The USS Arizona And USS Missouri Flank Honolulu's War Memories

PEARL HARBOR - The symbolism is undeniable.

On one end is the USS Arizona Memorial. A few hundred yards away is the USS Missouri. The two ships represent the beginning and the end of World War II.

The USS Arizona exploded at approximately 8:10 a.m. on December 7, 1941. The Japanese surrendered on the USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945.

The civic group that convinced the Navy to give the Mighty Mo to Hawaii instead of Bremerton, San Francisco and Long Beach, Calif. spoke often of the Missouri and the Arizona as "bookends" of U.S. involvement in World War II.

In Hawaii, there's a great deal between those bookends. In the middle of the Pacific, the islands played a crucial role in the war against Japan. More than 1 million soldiers passed through here on their way to battles in the Pacific. The Missouri stopped in Hawaii on Christmas Eve 1944 before sailing to war.

Thousands who died in the war are buried here. Its residents lived under martial law for more than three years, the only place in the United States subjected to such measures.

Many visitors overlook the rich history of the islands, including those crucial years between 1941 and 1945 that changed Hawaii forever.

The Missouri will open to the public in January (1999) and its supporters are banking on renewed interest in World War II and critical acclaim for movies like Saving Private Ryan to drum up business. But in Hawaii, the Missouri is but one piece of the

puzzle, one bookend that interprets history for the visitor.

Cemetery of the Pacific inspires silence, respect

PUNCHBOWL - It is odd to hear some people call a cemetery a "tourist attraction."

And yet, every day, tour vans, buses and rental cars make their way to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Nestled inside an extinct volcano, it is second only to the USS Arizona Memorial as the most visited site on the island of Oahu.

With so many visitors dressed in T-shirts, shorts and sandals, one might expect a certain degree of levity. But something happens to people when they enter Punchbowl crater. They are subdued into silence and respect by the 33,142 gravesites spread throughout the 115-acre cemetery.

More than 13,000 of the servicemen buried here died in World War II, including 776 who were killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The others fell at battle sites on China, Burma, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Guam, Guadalcanal and in Japanese war camps. More than 2,000 of the men buried at the cemetery were never identified. The names of 28,778 Americans missing in action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam are inscribed on marble courts.

Early Hawaiians called the bowl-shaped crater Puowaina, the "hill of sacrifice." It once was the site for royal burials and a sacrificial site for subjects who violated certain kapus (taboos). Named Punchbowl for its shape, it sits high above downtown Honolulu and commands impressive views of the city.

It is a beautiful place. Grassy fields, massive trees, flowers. Birds and gorgeous views all around. It could easily be mistaken for a park.

The cemetery's guest book in a small, non-denominational chapel is filled with comments from people who have been touched by what they have seen.

"Brings tears to our eyes and makes us truly appreciate those men and women who gave their lives for freedom," reads one of the annotations. Every week, hundreds sign their names and leave comments.

"Sad, sad," reads one. "They died for us," reads another.

They list their homes as in Japan, Germany, Italy and Brazil and just about every state in the U.S.

History center describes war's effects on citizens

HONOLULU - A pint of blood.

It could get someone out of jail. It could reduce a sentence for drunkenness or disorderly conduct. Martial law had its own quirks when it came down to parceling out punishment on the islands of Hawaii.

In many ways, the World War II effort demanded more from civilians living in the territory of Hawaii than anywhere else in the United States. The effect was immediate: an estimated 54 civilians died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, some killed by American anti-aircraft shells that fell back on Honolulu.

Military authorities declared martial law and suspended civil liberties the day of the attack. Civilian authorities expected martial law to last only a few months, but for the next three years, the islands became virtual armed military camps. During the war, as much as one-third of the island of Oahu was occupied by military forces.

Paradise was under lock.

The Judiciary History Center, an often-overlooked museum in downtown Honolulu, tells the story of regular citizens whose lives were drastically altered by the war.

In Hawaii, Japanese immigrants and their American-born second generation immediately came under suspicion and their loyalties questioned. They exceeded 40 percent of the population, with 124,000 American citizens and 45,000 immigrants.

The military forced Americans of Japanese ancestry who worked at military bases to wear a black-bordered badge to indicate their ethic origin. Their banks, Shinto shrines, department stores and language schools were confiscated and 1,875 Japanese Americans were arrested and sent to relocation or internment camps on the mainland.

"Speak American" posters popped up all over the islands, one of the most ethnically diverse areas of the United States. While Japanese Americans were singled out, the war and martial law affected the entire population.

Everyone was required to carry a gas mask at all times. The beautiful beaches of Waikiki were covered with barbed wire and there wasn't much partying going on. Curfews and blackouts forced everyone indoors by 6 p.m.

Every citizen in the islands was fingerprinted, the first mass fingerprinting of civilians in U.S. history. Phone calls and mail were censored and the military issued dollar bills - with a Hawaii imprint - that could only be used on the islands.

Hawaii residents didn't complain much about their plight and were often eager to prove their loyalty. More than 40,000 volunteered to serve in the armed forces. Among them were Americans of Japanese Ancestry who joined the all-AJA 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the most highly decorated units in the war.

The exhibit at the Judiciary center includes photos, censored letters, written arguments for and against military rule, civilian registration cards and Hawaii money.

The center is at the historic Ali`iolani Hale, 417 South King Street, directly behind the Kamehameha Statue in downtown Honolulu. Admission: Free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

In the days of the monarchy, Ali`iolani Hale housed both the Legislature and the Supreme Court. The center also houses exhibits 19th century legal and judicial processes that shaped the Kingdom of Hawaii and the islands' territorial years.

Makapu`u Point bunkers remain silent sentinels

OAHU - On the windiest of days, high up on the ridge of Makapu`u Point, you can lean toward mainland U.S.A. and not fall into the Pacific Ocean.

In November of 1941, just days before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, James Jones - who became a renowned author after the war - and Company F, 27th regimen, 25th division, climbed to the top of Makapu`u point, about four miles east of famous Hanauma bay, and built five pillboxes from cement and steel. They were puny compared to the heavily reinforced and well-armed bunkers at the top of Diamond Head in Honolulu.

James and his fellow soldiers returned on Dec. 7, shortly after bombs had fallen on Pearl Harbor, and occupied the pillboxes with machine guns and rifles. Several hundred feet high, the pillboxes commanded breathtaking views of the eastern and southern shores of Oahu. Here, they waited for an invasion that never came.

The wind-swept hill left an impression on Jones, who's better known for his book "From Here to Eternity."

In "The Pistol," now seemingly forgotten by history, he describes the winds as a "living river of air, a tidal ocean of it." Eastern Oahu is known as the Windward side of the island.

"Windward was a pretty lax term for such a wind, if you had to live in it without relief," he writes. "And at Makapu`u you were never free from it. It never ceased. Even in the pillboxes cut into the living rock in November, the wind seeped in like water and made chilling eddies of air among the shivering men who tried to sleep there."

"The Pistol" is the story of Pfc. Richard Mast and his efforts to keep a pistol he does not own, but wills himself to believe he does. Standing vigil at Makapu`u Point, Mast struggles to keep the gun while other men in his company try to take it from him. Deceit, violence, lies; Mast feels the brunt of it all. It is a tale of morality and war and the winds of time.

Today, the real pillboxes are slowly crumbling into the ground, exposed steel guts rotting in the salty air. Only four miles east of famous Hanauma Bay, Makapu`u Point is a silent sentinel with few visitors. A couple of nights a month, many Oahu residents climb the one-mile trail to watch the full moon rise over the Pacific.

Submarine rests after heroic wartime exploits

PEARL HARBOR - Next to the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center, a submarine nicknamed the "Pearl Harbor Avenger" is the centerpiece of a museum and memorial to more than 3,500 submariners who died in World War II.

The USS Bowfin, launched a year after the Pearl Harbor attack, became one of the most successful submarines in the war. It sank 44 vessels and a bus parked on a pier. For its exploits, it received the Presidential Unit Citation and a Navy Unit Commendation. More than 200,000 people a year visit the National Historic Landmark.

The Bowfin, like the USS Missouri, has connections to the Northwest. The submarine spent 11 years on Lake Washington as a Naval Reserve training boat before it was decommissioned in 1971.

The 312-foot Bowfin was typical for its time - a tube 16 feet in diameter, capable of firing torpedoes from front and back. A crew of about 50 operated the sub in claustrophobic compartments.

Visitors can step into the submarine and stroll through the small park and museum.

Museum, memorial recall Pacific war and people

WAIKIKI - The wrecking ball barely made a dent when the Army tried to tear down one of its installations in Honolulu in 1970.

Using explosives in densely populated Waikiki to bring it down was out of the question, so Battery Randolph - at one time equipped with two 14-inch "rifles" capable of firing 1,600 pounds shells a distance from Seattle to Edmonds - became an army museum in 1976.

Built in 1911, Battery Randolph was a powerful sentinel. No ship would dare attack Honolulu's southern shores with those big guns pointing in their direction. But the air attack on Pearl Harbor drove the massive battery out of business. The guns were dismantled and scrapped shortly after the war.

The museum houses weapons and exhibits that focus on the military history of the Army in Hawaii and the Pacific. Some of its historic displays tell the story of King Kamehameha and his drive to unite the islands under one kingdom, but much of the museum is dedicated to World War II.

Near the museum, on Kalakaua Avenue, a monument dedicated to Japanese-American World War II veterans was unveiled this summer. The monument honors those who served on the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion and Military Intelligence Service.

The USS Missouri rests at its new berth at Pearl

FORD ISLAND - Starting in January, visitors to the USS Missouri will stand on the spot where Japanese leaders surrendered and see the Arizona Memorial rising beyond the bow: the beginning and the end of the war.

Volunteers have been sanding away the rust of Northwest weather and painting America's symbol of victory and peace for weeks now. More than 1,000 volunteered to work on the ship, a good sign of interest for the USS Missouri Memorial Association, which now owns the vessel. It expects to open on schedule in January.

For $12, visitors will be allowed to meander through several areas of the ship and play with interactive displays. Film clips will feature historical footage and some sections of the ship will be equipped just as they were during World War II.

The ship is an impressive sight, its 16-inch guns capable of shooting projectiles weighting as much as a small car to targets 23 miles away.

On Sept. 2, 1945, shortly after 9 a.m., Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur presided over a brief ceremony in Tokyo Bay in which Japan Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed an unconditional surrender on the deck of the Missouri.

Commissioned in 1944, the Missouri served in the Pacific in World War II and the Korean War before going to Bremerton to join the Navy's reserve fleet in 1954.

It went back into service in San Francisco in 1986 and saw action in the Persian Gulf War. In 1992, the ship was decommissioned a second time and towed from Long Beach, Calif., to Bremerton.

IF YOU GO

USS Arizona Memorial

The National Park Service operates the memorial at Pearl Harbor. Admission: Free. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

The Park Service provides a 75-minute program that includes a short documentary film and a boat trip to the Memorial. Programs run every 15 minutes on a first-come basis. Pick up a ticket at the information booth.

The number of the ticket corresponds to tour times. Last program is at 3 p.m. Best time to visit is early mornings, when crowds tend to be smaller (about 4,500 people visit each day) and the weather is cooler.

Make sure to talk to Pearl Harbor survivors. They have wonderful stories and they are happy to share their experiences with visitors.

The Judiciary History Center.

The center is at the historic Ali`iolani Hale, 417 South King Street, directly behind the Kamehameha Statue in downtown Honolulu. Admission: free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

The cemetery is at 2177 Puowaina Drive. Admission: free. Hours: 8 to 5:30 p.m., daily, with slightly longer hours during the spring and summer months.

Makapu`u Point

The pillboxes of Makapu`u Point were built on the southeastern point of the island of Oahu, about four miles east of Hanauma Bay on the Kalanianaole Highway. Admission: free. Hours: sunrise to sunset.

A paved trail starts from a metal gate by the roadside and climbs for a mile. The trail is steep in some places and the weather is typically hot. Bring water. The pillboxes are at the end of the paved trail. They are fragile and visitors should not go inside or step on them.

USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park.

Next to the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. Admission: free for park and memorial. Submarine and museum: adults $8, children 4-12 $3. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii.

Located at Fort DeRussy, on the western end of Waikiki. Admission: free. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.