National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific — Attraction in Honolulu

Few national cemeteries compete with the dramatic natural setting of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Known as Punchbowl, or Hill of Sacrifice, it formed some 75,000 to 100,000 years ago during the Honolulu period of secondary volcanic activity.

A crater resulted from the ejection of hot lava through cracks in the old coral reefs which, at the time, extended to the foot of the Koolau Mountain Range

The name Hill of Sacrifice relates to the history of the crater, first used as an altar where Hawaiians offered human sacrifices to pagan gods and the killed violators of the many taboos.

During the reign of Kamehameha the Great, a battery of two cannons was mounted at the rim of the crater to salute distinguished arrivals and signify important occasions.

In the 1880s, leasehold land on the slopes of the Punchbowl opened for settlement and in the 1930s, the crater was used as a rifle range for the Hawaii National Guard.

Toward the end of World War II, tunnels were dug through the rim of the crater for the placement of shore batteries to guard Honolulu Harbor and the south edge of Pearl Harbor.

During the late 1890s, a committee recommended that the Punchbowl become the site for a new cemetery for the growing population of Honolulu, idea rejected for fear of polluting the water supply and the emotional aversion to creating a city of the dead above a city of the living. 50 years later, Congress authorized to establish a national cemetery in Honolulu with two provisions: the location be acceptable to the War Department, and the site be donated rather than purchased.

In 1943, the governor of Hawaii offered the Punchbowl for this purpose. The $50,000 appropriation proved insufficient, deferring the project until after World War II. By 1947, Congress and veteran organizations pressured the military to find a permanent burial site in Hawaii for the remains of thousands of World War II servicemen on the island of Guam awaiting permanent burial.

The Army planned for Punchbowl cemetery; in February 1948 Congress approved funding and construction began. Prior to the opening of the cemetery for the recently deceased, the remains of soldiers from locations around the Pacific Theater-including Wake Island and Japanese POW camps-were transported to Hawaii for final interment, first interment on 01-04-1949, opened to the public on 07-19-1949, with services for five war dead: an unknown serviceman, two Marines, an Army lieutenant and one civilian-noted war correspondent Ernie Pyle.

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific memorial pathway, lined with a variety of memorials to honor America's veterans from various organizations. As of 2005, there were 63 such memorials to commemorate soldiers of 20th-century wars, including those killed at Pearl Harbor.

Highly recommend a visit, reflect and honor those who have sacrificed their lives for our right to live our...

My wife and I were at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu today. We walked up the steps and visited the memorial halls for the missing, the chapel, and then the beautiful mosaics. We were walking along the exterior road to the scenic overlook when a gentleman from the security company pulled up in a gray sedan and started questioning us and accused us of loitering. He hassled us about it and said we had to leave. I said I’d never had this issue at other National Cemeteries and he said, “that’s the main land.” He then followed us closely while we returned to the center to leave. I called the cemetery administration to complain and the first gentleman was very interested and seemed concerned but then transferred me to a higher up (Mr M something) who seemed to want to tell me why we were loitering or the guard perceived us as exercising. We are a married couple in our 40’s and I’m a disabled vet with sketchy knees and a bad shoulder. There was no exercising. He then started saying all he could hear was my wife (talking to the driver as we left - as asked) and basically I should call back.

I’ve been to Arlington, Gettysburg, and Fort Rosecrans among others. My Grandfather is buried at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, MI. I’ve never been hassled by a private security guard at any of these National Cemeteries and told to leave. We came to pay our respects and the beautiful scenery while marveling at the magnificent monuments to our fallen. I wanted to pay my respects to Ernie Pyle.

Instead I was disrespected and thrown out of a...

I live nearby to this cemetery. Ever since my father, a Vietnam-era veteran, was diagnosed with ALS (considered a service-related ailment for which we are currently filing for survivor benefits), I have been walking up the hill to the cemetery from my house to find some comfort. He passed away a month ago. Again, I've been walking through to find some comfort and peace. Today, I was stopped by security and he proceeded to tell me that they've noticed I often exercise through here. I told him I'm not exercising. I'm simply walking through because my father was in the service, to which he replied with a laugh. I couldn't bring myself to also mention that he recently passed away as it is too soon for me to talk about without crying. Is there a limit on how many times I can walk through? Exercise would be me running, biking, jumping jacks, push ups, etc. Is there certain attire that's not allowed? Should I only walk through in a suit and get all hot and sweaty? Just today, I passed 4 young women (in 2 separate groups) that were dressed in sports attire walking out. Did they get talked to? Every time I'm in there, I notice people dressed in all kinds of attire. I must say, it's a punch in the gut to be told that I've 'been noticed' when I simply walk up the hill to walk through and try and find some peace and solace during this difficult time. If walking through multiple times is not allowed, that needs to be stated. If wearing shorts and a shirt is not allowed, that also needs to be stated. Needless to say, I'll try and find some peace and comfort...