O‘ahu

Haruko Takahashi was a Shintō priestess who spent part of World War II imprisoned at Honouliuli Internment Camp on O’ahu, Hawai’i. She died on December 24, 1972, and her life is still celebrated every year in a memorial service at the Konko Mission.

On the World War II home front, Americans turned to their diverse religious beliefs to make sense of the world. Explore this page to learn more about Japanese American religion, Christian conscientious objectors, the Jewish experience in wartime America, and more stories of religion and World War II.

People on the home front were reminded every day of the effects of World War II when they used cash to purchase items. Both paper money and coins saw changes because of the war. Some changes, like what metals were used to make US coins, were due to material shortages. Other changes, like money in Hawai'i, the Philippines, and Guam and the money used in incarceration camps were strategic. There were also changes to US money based on World War II that happened after the war...

Join University of Hawaii - West Oahu's archaeological field school at Honouliuli National Monument. The monument, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was the site of Japanese civilian and Prisoner of War internment during World War II (1943 - 1946).

Ewa Plain Battlefield, Hawaii, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Battle of Ewa Plain began just before 8 AM on December 7, 1941 and was part of the larger surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) on the United States of America military base at Pearl Harbor and other installations on the island of Oahu, and other islands considered defensive positions within the Territory of Hawaii.

At Pearl Harbor, as morning colors were readied and sailors and civilians ate breakfast, the Japanese planes struck. In 15 minutes the main battle line of the Pacific fleet was neutralized. The battleships CALIFORNIA, OKLAHOMA, WEST VIRGINIA, NEVADA and ARIZONA were sunk, as was the old battleship UTAH then being used as a target and antiaircraft training vessel.

The Opana Radar Site on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu marks the first operational use of radar by the United States in wartime. In December 1939, the U.S. military, experimenting with the advantages of radar, established an Aircraft Warning Service (AWS) that used radar for the defense of American territory.

In 1882, King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi‘olani of Hawai’I moved into the just finished ‘Iolani Palace. This building served as the official residence of the Hawaiian monarch until the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. King Kalakaua passed away in 1891, and his sister and heir Lili'uokalani became the last sovereign ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Hickam Field, adjacent to Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base, was established in 1935 as Hawaii's principal army airfield and bomber base. On December 7, 1941, 51 airplanes were on the ground at Hickam, the headquarters of the Hawaii Air Force, and a flight of 12 B-17s was expected to arrive that morning.

On October 13, 2017, Navy Region Hawaii hosted a bell ringing ceremony at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center to celebrate. Following the bell ringing was the dedication of the new Lone Sailor statue on the visitor center grounds. Happy Birthday US Navy!