Pearl Harbor events draw tight security

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

A special center jointly staffed by FBI agents, Honolulu police and the military has been set up to handle security issues, including potential terrorist threats, as thousands gather on O'ahu for Pearl Harbor 60th anniversary events.

Gene Castagnetti, director of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, said officials are being pro-active about security. Advertiser library photo • March 20, 2001

The conference uniting Pearl Harbor survivors and scholars includes a gala banquet with USO Show on Dec. 5, world premiere showings of documentary films by the History and Discovery channels, special flag-raising ceremonies with survivors, a special screening on Dec. 4 of the movie "Pearl Harbor" and a fund-raiser to help build a new museum at the visitor's center.

In addition, the Pearl Harbor Survivor Association and USS Arizona Survivor Association will have their reunions here Dec. 3-9. An estimated 2,200 survivors and their families will come from more than 35 states. About one-quarter are actual survivors. The Pearl Harbor Survivor Association has about 2,000 members nationally.

Punchbowl remembrances of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor will be part solemn reflection, part spectacle — and, officials say, very secure.

With more than 3,000 people expected to attend the Punchbowl ceremony alone — the biggest of the many gatherings for the 60th anniversary — authorities are planning accordingly within a new framework of homeland defense and terrorism. Marines will be on guard on the perimeter, while military and Honolulu police will be watching over crowds.

Gene Castagnetti, the cemetery's director, said "there is absolutely no known threat" to any of the Pearl Harbor survivors, veterans, military officials and general public expected to attend the 10 a.m. ceremony, which will include a "missing man" and B-52 bomber fly-over, wreath-laying, joint color guard and 21-gun Marine Corps artillery salute.

"Our security precautions are just pro-active," Castagnetti said. "Any time we have a large gathering of people, it would be a potential target for anybody who would want to make a political statement."

Castagnetti said a "Joint Rear Action Center" involving military and civilian law enforcement has been set up in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure adequate security will be provided at 60th anniversary events.

"That includes bomb dogs to investigators, helicopters to SWAT teams," said Castagnetti, who added the preparation is similar to that put in place for the Asian Development Bank conference in May.

Planners of memorial events here and the veterans flying in from the Mainland downplay the possibility of terrorism, whether in the air or on the ground. But it is on the minds of many.

As one who looked on with incredulity when the bombs fell in 1941, Ed Chappell no longer rules out remote possibilities. "I hope to hell it is secure," said Chappell, national president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

"We didn't think the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor, and here it is 60 years later, and (the terrorist attack) happens in New York," said Chappell, who, as a 17-year-old, helped man an anti-aircraft battery on the deck of the USS Maryland.

The list of survivors and their families coming out for memorials, panel discussions, special exhibits, entertainment and to reunite with old friends continues to grow. Chappell said about 800 survivors from the association are registered, along with about 1,600 family members.

But some 175 have canceled since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, he said.

"That New York thing scared the heck out of a lot of people," Chappell said. "A lot of it is sickness, too. We're up at the age where everything is going wrong. If it's not for the fear of flying, it's illness."

It's not just flying to Hawai'i, either. Some Pearl Harbor survivors will be driving to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, for a live video feed from the USS Arizona Memorial on Dec. 7 and a ceremony with former President George H.W. Bush as host, Chappell said.

"A lot of them are going to drive," he said. "A lot have motor homes, and the price of gas has dropped a little, so they will drive."

Chappell, 77, who lives in Lake Havasu, Ariz., said the security in Hawai'i for the anniversary "has doubled or tripled on some of the bases and ships — we're happy about that."

He's also requested that authorities provide extra patrols at memorial events such as a Dec. 7 banquet at the Hawai'i Convention Center that 1,862 Pearl Harbor survivors and their families will be attending.

Arizona Memorial officials expect around 4,000 visitors a day between Dec. 1 and 9. That's off the pace of 5,000 to 6,000 showing up before Sept. 11, but an increase over the approximately 2,800 visitors seen daily after the terrorist attacks.

The Navy plans to conduct a private ceremony on the Arizona Memorial at 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 7, when the ashes of two Arizona crewmen will be interred back on board. Access to the memorial will be limited to Pearl Harbor survivors, and the public will not be able to visit the sunken battleship and resting place for more than 1,000 sailors that day.

But other public events will take place on the back lawn of the visitor center, including ships passing in review, a "missing-man" formation flown by the Hawai'i Air National Guard, colors presentation and recollections of the attack from three viewpoints — an individual who was a child at the time, a nurse, and a U.S. Navy pilot.

Dan Hand, chief ranger for the National Park Service at the memorial, said there will be additional rangers and Navy personnel at the visitor center up through Dec. 7, but that's "based on the potential of having a lot of people here."

"It's more a courtesy, I guess is how I would put it, that additional law enforcement will be present," Hand said.

The number of rangers at the visitor center will be doubled, and the 15-member Navy detachment may be increased for some events, Hand said. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, backpacks, purses, camera bags and strollers with compartments have been prohibited in the center.

"Nothing indicates to us we should do anything differently than the precautions we've had in place all along," Hand said.

The military has some of its own ceremonies planned. A 7:45 a.m. flagpole ceremony will be staged at Hickam Air Force Base on Dec. 7 to honor those who fell 60 years ago fighting at Pearl Harbor. About 1,000 people are expected to attend.

For returning veterans, greater security will be in place soon after they step off the airplane. Chappell said the plan had been to present a lei to each Pearl Harbor survivor.

"We can't give them out at the airport," he said. "That's one of the security measures. We were going to distribute them at the baggage center, but they won't let us do that."

For more information on Pearl Harbor anniversary events sponsored by the National Park Service call 422-2771, or go to the Arizona Memorial Museum Association's Web site.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.