Remembrance Summer 2023

President & CEO

Aileen Utterdyke

Board of Directors

Jeff Bell, Chairman

Alma Grocki, Vice Chairman, Michael "Swede" Olson, Secretary

Alan Mattson, Treasurer

James M. Boersema

Noel W. Bragg

Alan Hayashi

Dean Hazama

To support the USS Arizona Memorial and other Pacific historic locations through education and interpretive programs, research, preservation, and restoration, to perpetuate the memory of events and honor the people involved in these sites.

Board of Directors (cont.)

Patricia A. Lucas

Edward J. Lynch

Mark Y. Matsunaga

Dr. Ed H. Noh

Theodore "Ted" Peck

Clif Purkiser

Alby L. Saunders

Directors Emeritus

Neil A. Sheehan

Geoffrey M. White

Joachim P. Cox, Legal Advisor

Publication Advisers

Aileen Utterdyke

Edean Saito

Editor

Jim McCoy

Layout & Design

Chase Nuuhiwa

PRESIDENT & CEO MESSAGE

On the heels of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, better known as DPAA, finishing their work to exhume remains from multiple “unknown” gravesites at Punchbowl brought closure and accounted for many of our military heroes being identified through advanced DNA testing.

Families who provided DNA to make the identifications possible were provided the opportunity to rebury their loved ones with full military honors in hometown burial plots or at other sites, including the option of reburial at Punchbowl.

We were honored to document a number of the solemn repatriations at Punchbowl, many of them USS Oklahoma crewmembers killed in addition to victims from other battleships, but none from the USS Arizona.

Last year, Kevin Kline, the great nephew of a USS Arizona casualty, launched a campaign he calls Operation 85 He was able to get the DPAA to commit to exhuming 85 and possibly more USS Arizona “unknowns” from their Punchbowl graves if enough DNA samples are returned from relatives of Arizona casualties. An important note to this is none of the men entombed in the battleship itself will be disturbed.

Joining Kevin in his quest to honor and put to rest his great uncle is Teri-Mann Whyatt, a Seattle resident who worked with the late Randy Stratton, son of USS Arizona survivor Don Stratton. Kevin, Teri, Randy and many other family members seek closure to the loss so many years ago.

Please find a tribute to Randy on our website along with a short video on Operation 85 featuring Kevin Kline and Teri-Mann Whyatt.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was the largest disaster in U.S. Naval history. And the USS Arizona suffered the largest loss of life. If you are related to a USS Arizona crewmember who died on that ship during the Day of Infamy, and whose body may be buried as an “unknown” consider providing a DNA sample. Details are in the accompanying story and on our website.

AILEEN UTTERDYKE President & CEO

A copy of the

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and a description of our programs and activities may be obtained by contacting us at: 94-1187 Ka Uka Blvd., Waipahu, HI 96797, (808) 954-8777. Pacific Historic Parks was formed in Hawaii. If you are a resident of one of the following states, you may obtain financial information directly from the state agency: Florida: A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352 (800-HELP-FLA), OR VISITING www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida Registration #CH17306 Georgia: A full and fair description of our programs and our financial statement summary is available upon request at our office and phone number indicated above. Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage, from the Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401. Mississippi: The official registration and financial information of Pacific Historic Parks may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State's office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement. Nevada: Contributions may be tax deductible pursuant to the provisions of sec. 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. ¤170(c). New Jersey: INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING (973) 504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/charfrm.htm. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. New York: Upon request, from the Attorney General Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. North Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-919-814-5400. The license is not an endorsement by the state. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of Pacific Historic Parks may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Virginia: From the State Office of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. Washington: From the Secretary of State at 1-800-332-4483 or http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/ West Virginia: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Wisconsin: A financial statement of the charitable organization disclosing assets, liabilities, fund balances, revenue and expenses for the preceding fiscal year will be provided to any person upon request. REGISTRATION WITH A STATE AGENCY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THAT STATE. More information about charity state disclosures and charitable solicitation registrations.

This issue’s cover story focuses on intensifying efforts to identify Sailors and Marines who were killed on the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. These men were buried as “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known by most of us as Punchbowl.

latest financial report, registration filed

this organization,

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE

Even though the shoreside dock is fixed and in full operation, we are still only able to accommodate around 4000 people a day to the USS Arizona Memorial, which is only half of the folks who come on a busy summer day. Folks who are not able to make reservations, or who are unaware of our reservation system, show up at the site every day and use our standby line to see if there is room on the boat for them to visit. In the hot summer sun, this can be unbearable. In August, with the help of Pacific Historic Parks, we will be piloting some virtually standby line systems, which will allow folks to “put their name in” and then they will be notified when their boat is available. This way they can visit our two museums or watch the park film instead of standing in the hot sun for a couple of hours. Once we evaluate the different options, we will select a system and

implement some time in 2024. Another project coming up in the near future will be making some final corrections to the Memorial wall, including corrections of misspellings and inaccurate rank designations. We hope to have work completed in 2024 as well. Working with Pacific Historic Parks to honor those who lives were lost and make the visit more enjoyable is why we are here, so we hope that on your next visit you have an opportunity to experience some of the improvements and changes we are making to the site. Mahalo to Pacific Historic Parks and to you for your support.

TOM LEATHERMAN Superintendent Pearl Harbor National Memorial

As we enter the busy summer months, I am reminded just how many people have a connection to World War II and come to Pearl Harbor National Memorial to pay their respects, many after saving up for a lifetime.

USS ARIZONA OPERATION 85 ONE LAST MISSION

By Rebecca Schwab, Pacific Historic Parks

GM2c Robert Kline was just 17 years old when he enlisted in the US Navy, reporting for duty aboard the flagship of the Battleship Division of the US Naval Pacific Fleet, the USS Arizona, in 1937.

“He was a gunner's mate 2nd class,” said Kevin Kline, Robert's great nephew. “He was having a blast. He was a young guy traveling the world.”

Robert sent his sister many letters and personal items over the next few years, reflecting the ship's travels and his time spent in Hawaii. He enjoyed his experience so much that he reenlisted after his third year and planned to make the Navy his career.

However, the Arizona would be Robert's first and only ship. On December 7, 1941, he perished in the Pearl Harbor attack, along with 1,176 other USS Arizona crew members. While most remain on the ship, at least 85 were recovered, unable to be identified, and buried together as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also known as Punchbowl) in Honolulu, HI.

“I can go to the memorial and I can't be 100% sure that that's where my uncle's final resting place is,” Kline said, “because there are commingled graves ten miles away.”

It's the responsibility of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) to provide the fullest possible accounting for missing servicemembers to their families, but DPAA officials told Kline that identifying USS Arizona unknowns buried in Hawaii is a nonworking priority.

“They have 20 DNA samples, and there are 1,072 unknowns,” Kline said. “They would need 60% crew member DNA samples before they would ever consider a disinterment. It costs a lot of money, time, resources to find those families. They never kept the connection.”

In response to this, last year Kline created USS Arizona Operation 85, a grassroots effort to locate families of USS Arizona servicemembers killed as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack, and to encourage them to submit their DNA in order to reach the required number.

It was the Navy, he said, that gave him the idea. “[They said] look at the Oklahoma project. Look how it got started. If you really want to do something, that's how you have to do it.”

The late Ray Emory, Hawaii resident and Pearl Harbor Survivor, spent many years doing his own research on USS Oklahoma unknowns and advocating for their disinterment and identification. Of the 429 USS Oklahoma servicemembers who died that day, only 35 had been identified.

Emory's hard work paid off in 2015 when the military decided to exhume the remaining unknown USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines buried at Punchbowl and attempt to identify them. At the close of the program in December 2021, the DPAA announced that, including the 35 identified in 1947, a total of 396 USS Oklahoma Sailors and Marines had been accounted for, with many returned to their families and reburied in their hometowns.

It's what Kline said he hopes will happen for the USS Arizona unknowns buried at Punchbowl, but the critical time is now.

“With the technology they have today, anything past my daughter may not be a positive identification,” he said. “So there is a time issue there. I realized if this was ever going to get done, it had to be done by this generation – we had to do it now.”

Kline said he has been very surprised at how many families still have a sense of grief over their lost family members, even with the passage of time.

“Some families have said to me, 'You know, I'm OK with it. Again, that separation of time, didn't know them, but I really would like to have closure for my mom, or for my grandmother,' who they saw actually had grief and suffered,” he said. “To think that 80 years have gone by and nobody is suffering and nobody needs to put this to rest is flat out wrong.”

Teri Mann-Whyatt, whose uncle GM3c William Edward Mann also died aboard USS Arizona, agreed.

“The generations below me feel the same as we do, because we grew up with a great sense of pride that our grandmother put in our hearts, that our uncle gave his life for our country, And so we are so honored by that,” she said. “His legacy is important to us, as all of the men who were on the Arizona are important to us.”

Robert Kline and his great nephew, Kevin Kline

USS Arizona relative Teri-Mann Whyatt with the lone USS Arizona survivor Lou Conter. Both endorse Operation 85.

Mann-Whyatt said she hopes to encourage other families to learn about USS Arizona Operation 85 and to get involved.

“We are here as a community,” she said. “We want to stand up for all the other families that might be able to bring their servicemember home and have that sense of peace for their family, and honor. Because they deserve it.”

Other DNA providers include an Arizona woman who lost one relative on the USS Oklahoma, who the DPAA identified, and another on the USS Arizona who remains unidentified, and a Hawaii man who donated his DNA in an effort to identify a father and son team from the USS Arizona

If you are a family member of an unaccounted for USS Arizona crew member and would like to submit your DNA, please visit https:// ussarizona.navy/ for more information.

Photos Courtesy Operation 85

GUAM STUDENT-TEACHER TEAM

Assisting USS Arizona Operation 85

By Jim McCoy, Pacific Historic Parks

AGuam student teacher history team that participated in the annual Sacrifice for Freedom program is assisting in the Operation 85 efforts to identify USS Arizona crewmembers buried as “unknowns” at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as Punchbowl. The silent hero that student Bernard Malicsi and teacher Brian Galang researched could lead to the identification of the remains of USS Arizona crewmember Gregorio San Nicholas Aguon.

Aguon was one of 12 Chamorro men from Guam killed at Pearl Harbor, six of them stationed on the USS Arizona. Due to regulations at the time, they were only allowed to work as mess attendants.

“We were trying to find relatives, but we kept having dead ends,” Malicsi said as he and his teacher Brian Galang stood at Punchbowl Cemetery fronting the Courts of the Missing where Aguon’s name is memorialized.

Two days before they left for Hawaii in mid June, they were searching obituaries and came across a woman listed in the death notices who turned out to be the youngest and last surviving sibling of Aguon.

“She died in 2020 and then looking at all the names listed in the obituary, I noticed a familiar last name and I saw the name of my village mayor Rudy Paco,” Galang said. “Could this be

a coincidence, so I called him and he said that’s my mom and that’s my uncle.”

“I think it would be an amazing opportunity if his remains could be brought back to the family,” Bernard said. His teacher agreed, saying “this basically caps everything off.”

The Guam team is among the 16 student teacher teams participating in the National History Day Summer Institute in Hawaii. Each pair researched a World War II in the Pacific casualty who is buried or listed as missing in action at Punchbowl and presented eulogies at the cemetery. The all-expense paid program is sponsored by the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites partners, which includes Pacific Historic Parks, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Battleship Missouri Memorial, and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.

Bernard and the fifteen other students in the program delivered their respective eulogies at Punchbowl following remarks from Army combat veteran Allen Hoe. He commended the students for their interest in history. Following his speech, he pulled out an American flag he carried during his deployment in Vietnam in the late 1960’s. Some 36 years later his son, 1st Lt. Nainoa Hoe, had that flag during his deployment in Iraq and was carrying it the day he was killed in combat on January 22, 2005. The 16 eulogies delivered by the students will be posted on Pacific Historic Parks website alongside eulogies presented by other students in 2021 and 2022.

Historic Inalåhan Geocache Adventure

Connecting the Past, Empowering the Future

By Makaelah Blas, Pacific Historic Parks Program Coordinator

Nestled on the southeastern coast of Guam, the village of Inalåhan stands as a testament to the island’s rich history, where ancient traditions intertwine with colonial influences. With homes dating back to the early 1900s, Inalåhan has garnered recognition as a historic village in the National Register of Historic Places.

During World War II, Inalåhan assumed a significant role during the Japanese occupation. To sustain the Japanese forces, rice fields were cultivated within the village and various structures were repurposed to meet their needs. The Old Baptist Church, for instance, was transformed into a storage facility for food supplies as well as a Shinto place of worship, while several residential homes were transformed into essential facilities, serving as dispensaries, distribution centers for rice, and military command posts. These enduring remnants serve as poignant reminders of Inalåhan's wartime experiences.

Driven by an unwavering determination to preserve these stories and educate future generations, Pacific Historic Parks (PHP) embarked on a mission to develop the Guam Geocaching Inalåhan Adventure. This virtual geocaching experience represents an innovative evolution of the widely popular recreational activity known as "geocaching." In contrast to traditional geocaching, where participants seek

physical caches, virtual geocaching offers explorers a unique form of virtual cache in the captivating narratives and challenging riddles provided, enabling them to explore the vibrant tapestry of a location's history and culture.

To end the school year and kick off the summer, PHP partnered with Inalåhan Middle School to launch the Guam Geocaching Inalåhan Adventure. Leading up to the launch, PHP organized an author visit, where author Nicole Calvo spoke to students about her book The Ragdoll and The Marine, A Memoir, which delves into her mother’s childhood experience during World War II on Guam. This prelude set the stage for the subsequent geocaching adventure, fueling excitement and anticipation among the students.

The geocache adventure commenced with an interactive walking tour, where students and teachers, equipped with GPS-enabled mobile devices, were guided to seven historical sites in Inalåhan. Divided into groups, they

eagerly located each site, learned its historical significance, and solved riddles to unlock educational videos that provided deeper insights into Inalåhan's captivating history. The geocache adventure culminated in a thrilling history trivia game, where the students’ newfound knowledge was put to the test. Questions that mirrored the sites they had visited challenged their understanding and rewarded their dedication.

Prizes awaited those who emerged victorious, but the true reward lay in the profound connection they had forged with the past.

The successful launch of the Guam Geocaching Inalåhan Adventure exemplified the power of immersive and interactive learning experiences. However, it was not merely an educational endeavor but a transformative experience that fostered a sense of identity and belonging among the students and empowered them to become stewards of their island’s history. PHP has since made the geocache adventure available to the public, inviting visitors and residents alike to discover the rich tapestry of Inalåhan's past, and ensuring that its historical legacy will endure for future generations.

The Guam Geocaching Inalåhan Adventure was made possible through funding from the Educational Stabilization Fund (ESF) - Guam Governor’s Fund, grant # S425H210004.

A Ride into History

AT AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK

By Jovannalyn Mafnas, PHP-AMME Education Specialist

American Memorial Park and Pacific Historic Parks were once again awarded the Open Outdoors for Kids Grant from the National Park Foundation for SY 2022-2023. The grant program works to connect students to their national parks through field trips, classroom activities, and educational activities. This year’s program, titled “A Ride into History at American Memorial Park” welcomed over 600 fourth grade students to the park.

Through the Open Outdoors for Kids program, a three-touch approach is implemented, which includes a school visit, field trip, and reflection activity to complete the program. Pacific Historic Parks works closely with the National Park Service and the CNMI Public School System to provide opportunities for learning outside of the classroom by having teachers and students experience their national park and explore the great outdoors, learning about the park’s mission and how it connects to other historical sites around the islands of the CNMI. To expand the program and give schools an opportunity to experience the park when an in-person school visit or field trip is not possible, a virtual program was launched. This virtual program included a live school visit presentation, showing of the park film, virtual reality (VR) 360

The virtual program helps to include our students on the islands of Tinian and Rota who do not have the opportunity to visit American Memorial Park. With this program, students on Tinian were able to receive both virtual and in-person presentations, as well as a field trip to historical sites on their island, including North Field, the atomic bomb pits, pillboxes, and other sites on Tinian. Although a program was planned for students on Rota in the month of May, Typhoon Mawar struck the islands of Rota and Guam on May 24, 2023. Due to loss of power, damages to buildings, and less than two weeks until the last day of classes, and beginning of summer break, rescheduling their program within the school year was not possible. After discussing with the school principal who shared that schools are remaining closed on Rota for the time being, it was decided to postpone their program until next school year. Recovery is underway and plans are being made to ensure that next school year, both 4th and 5th graders will be able to participate in the program. With a new grant proposal submitted, American Memorial Park hopes to welcome more students to the park in the new school year.

Tour of the visitor center exhibit and pre-recorded tours of the Court of Honor and Marianas Memorial at the park.

Longtime Historian Retires From National Park Service

By Scott Pawlowski, Curator, Pearl Harbor National Memorial

Long time Pearl Harbor historian, Daniel Martinez retired after 40 years of dedicated public service for the National Park Service. “This has been the most amazing career I could have ever imagined; telling the history of Oahu and Pearl Harbor”. Daniel Martinez is the longest serving historian at Pearl Harbor National Memorial (First in USS Arizona Memorial, then World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, and lastly Pearl Harbor National Memorial). Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and Pacific Historic Parks hosted his retirement 18 June 2023 with about 100 people attending. Many of you may recognize Daniel from his numerous television spots talking about breaking news, history, heritage and commemoration of the Pacific War on Oahu. He frequently spent time on the radio, television and in person discussing December 7th commemorative events for all who listened.

Daniel’s career spanned over four decades beginning as a seasonal ranger at Little Bighorn National Monument in Montana after graduating from California State University at Dominguez Hills in Southern California. Daniel’s grandfather was a Navy Federal worker working as a foreman on the Red Hill project during the Pearl Harbor attack. He witnessed the attack and Daniel’s first college oral history was his grandfather’s recollection of that day. Daniel began working

for the USS Arizona Memorial in the fall of 1985, eventually attaining the position of Historian.

He has served on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum (aka USS Bowfin Museum), the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, President and Board Member of Junior Achievement, a member of the Presidential Counselors at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Hawaii Museums Association and Smithsonian Institution. The USS Arizona Survivors Association, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors and Pacific Historic Parks have all counted on Daniel as a speaker, advisor and confidant.

Daniel is retiring from federal service but will be taking up an emeritus position at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum along with other passionate projects like leading World War II tours to European and Pacific battlefields. Retirements are great opportunities to refocus your priorities and in this regard Daniel’s first adventure will be traveling to visit his family on the mainland and to make a return visit to his original National Park Service experience, Little Bighorn National Battlefield this summer. Please join us in wishing him “fair winds and following seas”.

The 8,000 Hansen’s Disease patients buried on Kalaupapa were honored June 28 with lei placed on their gravesites. University of Hawaii at Hilo History Club members were joined by the National Park Service and the State Department of Health in the stringing and mass lei placing tradition that began 10 years ago. Two patients and settlement staff also participated in placing lei on 1,200 marked graves and in areas where thousands are buried in unmarked graves.

Prayer for the Dead

George Coburn

USS Oklahoma

Oceanside, CA

Howard Kenton “Ken” Potts

USS Arizona Provo, UT

Robert H. Stacy

Fort Armstrong

San Diego, CA

Edward Earl Wise

USS Tennessee San Diego, CA

“Eternal rest grant unto them and let perpetual light shine upon them and may they rest in peace.”

Photos Courtesy Sister Alicia Damien Lau

Ken Potts at the 75th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack

You Make it Happen!

Your contributions help us meet our mission to ensure that the legacy of the valiant, courageous men and women who served our country during World War

are never forgotten. We would like to recognize and thank the following donors for their recent contributions.

Jake McManus

Thomas Millsap

David Moore

Kevin Moore

Kathleen L Nawn, USN (Ret.)

Jennifer Oliveira

Daniel E Pepping

The Hatlo Porter Family

Dale Ranck

Karen J Richardson

Maricela Rodriguez

Jennifer Sakurai

Adrian Soucek

Roberta A. Sullivan

Mr. Michael Tanguay

Agnes Tauyan

Joe Ann Taylor

Rita G Tessaro

Mrs. Marilyn S. Troy

Victor and Calliopi Viviani

Tanya Wheeless

Timothy Wright

Hiromu Yogi

The Legacy Society

Createalegacythatwillensurehistorywillneverbeforgotten

Since 1980, millions of people from every state of our nation and from 40 countries around the world have seen, experienced, and been inspired by the valor and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation at Pearl Harbor and throughout the Pacific Basin. The Legacy Society was created to acknowledge and celebrate family and friends who desire to keep history alive and to honor the sacrifices of the World War II generation. Members have affirmed Pacific Historic Parks in their estate plans or through other planned gifting arrangements.

Planned gifts provide a unique opportunity to preserve our country’s military heritage through supporting Pacific Historic Parks while possibly receiving tax benefits on income.

TYPES OF PLANNED GIFTS

ƒ Charitable Bequest

ƒ Life Insurance

ƒ Life Income Gifts

Š Charitable Gift Annuity

Š Charitable Remainder Trust

EXCLUSIVE ITEMS!

‰ I’m interested in discussing my options for a planned gift with Pacific Historic Parks. Please contact me at the number listed in the form below.

‰ I already have a planned gift set up for Pacific Historic Parks.

‰ Please specify type: _________________________

‰ Pacific Historic Parks may recognize my membership in The Legacy Society in its publications.

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Established in 1979, Pacific Historic Parks is a 501(c)(3), tax exempt cooperating association committed to preserving the legacy of our historic heritage by providing support of research, preservation, restoration, education and interpretive programs to the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor National Memorial (Pearl Harbor), War in the Pacific National Historical Park (Guam), American Memorial Park (Saipan), Kalaupapa National Historical Park (Molokai) and Diamond Head State Monument (Oahu).