History stays alive

The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, home of the USS Arizona Memorial, consistently has been a top tourism draw for Hawaii, but attendance has been declining over the past few years.

Despite several years of record-setting visitor arrivals for Hawaii, those who visited the Oahu portion of the monument have dropped nearly 12 percent from 1.78 million in 2013 to 1.574 million in 2015. Even so, the monument, which touched about 18 percent of Hawaii’s visitors in 2015, remains the state’s most popular attraction.

But what will happen as members of the Greatest Generation, now in their 90s, are gone and fewer of their aging children remain to tell their story?

It’s imperative that Hawaii keeps the memories alive, said Jerry Gibson, area vice president of Hilton Hawaii.

“Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial is the top visitor attraction for our hotel guests from the U.S. and abroad,” Gibson said. “It’s a part of history that we don’t want to forget. It defined bravery and sacrifice. And in all of its horror and destruction, it brought us together as a country. For many years we have had the honor of these brave WWII survivors and veterans living among us, and as their time on earth comes to end, we never want to forget the sacrifice they made for all of us on Dec. 7, 1941.”

Visitors like James and Teresa Delgadillo, who have known WWII veterans, understand the site’s importance.

The California couple visited the monument with their daughter 25 years ago and returned in October to visit with their now-adult daughter, Jamie Klubben, and her family in tow.

“It’s so important to pass the stories of their bravery on to the next generation,” said James Delgadillo. “The monument is a must-see. We hope Jamie will get the chance to bring her grandchildren here, too.”

Some question whether the monument will be as significant to millennials and their offspring, but Daniel Martinez, chief historian of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, said it will endure like the U.S. Civil War sites that have remained popular.

The National Park Service will spark new interest by using the latest technology to tell the monument’s stories, Martinez said.

There are no plans to add other historic locations to the monument, which also includes sites in Alaska and California.

Instead, the reconciliatory tone of the upcoming 75th Pearl Harbor Anniversary, a series of commemorative events from Dec. 1-11, is at the core of the National Park Service’s long-range plans to keep the monument relevant, Martinez said. This theme tends to resonate with younger visitors who didn’t grow up in the shadow of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, he said.

“The legacy part of the story is that we actually celebrate now the years of peace,” Martinez said. “Many young people are growing up without knowledge of a relationship that developed after the war and because of the war. It’s really important for them to understand how former enemies became friends and allies.”

Martinez said the focus on peace continues the theme of the 50th-anniversary ceremonies in 1991 when WWII veterans and Pearl Harbor survivors and witnesses began “to move beyond ‘Remember Pearl Harbor’ as a battle cry to remembering it as a tragedy that occurred in the Pacific between the U.S., Japan and our allies.”

Thousands of veterans attending Hawaii’s 50th ceremonies were urged to abandon their “rancor” by President George H.W. Bush, who was shot down in the Pacific during his time as a World War II Navy pilot. Bush told those gathered, “I have no rancor in my heart toward Germany or Japan — none at all. I hope you have none in yours. This is no time for recrimination.”

“In 1991 we had well over 4,000 to 5,000 veterans and their families. It was an incredibly large event,” Martinez said. “They issued more press credentials during the 50th anniversary than for the Iraq War.”

Despite the importance of the 75th anniversary, Martinez said turnout will be significantly smaller than in 1991 given the advancing ages of World War II veterans and Pearl Harbor witnesses and survivors.

But the events are no less important in setting the monument’s future course, he said.