Memorials, Myths and Symbols

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan . . . The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost . . . Always we will remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory . . .

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, December 8, 1941

Bernard Perlin's 1942 poster effectively expressed the feelings of anger and defiance that swept the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In his design, Perlin used the silhouette of USS Arizona (lower right), which had already become an icon of the event.

While the archeological evaluation of the Pearl Harbor attack fascinates many Americans, it is the event itself that so ingrained itself in the nation's consciousness. Pearl Harbor, particularly USS Arizona, has became a national shrine. Pearl Harbor and every trace of the American forces that defended it are now imbued with an almost religious significance. As such, Arizona and Utah, along with pieces of other battleships are relics of considerable cultural value, while artifacts associated with the attacker have their own special emotional impact for citizens of both nations. Pearl Harbor is one of the most emotion-laden and important war sites in the world for two generations of Americans and Japanese.

Decades of increasing tensions between the United States and Japan erupted in the attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. The attack, a tactical coup for the Japanese, followed their longstanding tradition of surprise attack. To many Americans, the surprise and shock of suddenly being plunged into a world war after two decades of isolationism was a brutal awakening. It was attended by horror at American unpreparedness, the near destruction of the battleships of the Pacific Fleet, and the death of thousands of servicemen and civilians. Almost any American not an infant on December 7, 1941 remembers with clarity where they were and what they were doing when the news of the attack was flashed to an unsuspecting nation. Shock turned to indignation, then rage, and finally a steely determination to wage total war. The slogan was 'Remember Pearl Harbor!"

USS Arizona and the Arizona Memorial have become a major shrine and point of remembrance not only for the lost battleship but also for the entire attack. The explosion that destroyed Arizona shook the harbor, blew debris and parts of bodies for thousands of feet. It was the central event of the attack and remains central in the reminiscences of most survivors. Indelibly impressed into the national memory, Arizona is visited by millions who quietly file through, toss flower wreaths and leis into the water, look at the rusting hulk through the oil-stained water, and read the names of the dead carved on the marble plaque attached to the memorial's walls. Perhaps more important than the modern memorial that straddles Arizona is the battleship itself, which is the ultimate shrine. Resting in the silt of Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona is a naval memorial and a war grave. It was the scene of tragedy, triumph and heroism.  Arizona is also a crystallized moment in time, its death wounds visible and still bleeding oil, the intact hull holding most of the crew.

The USS Arizona Memorial. Photo by Brett Seymour, NPS.

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