Historians give insight into Arizona Memorial

More than a million people come each year to the memorial that almost never became reality. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writer

When the Arizona Memorial was officially dedicated on Memorial Day 1962 it was so new, and unfinished, that the general public wasn't invited. Instead, 200 VIPs occupied the limited seating on the memorial, while 800 other special guests were assigned to Ford Island, a short distance away.

"There are strings attached to our freedom," Texas Congressman Olin Teague told the gathering. "We do not own our freedom. We hold it in trust for those who will come after us."

In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the law authorizing the building of the Arizona Memorial and Museum. Advertiser library photo • April 14, 1959

It wasn't until the following month that the public got its first close-up look at what would become one of the most recognizable memorials worldwide. The public hasn't stopped looking since. Each year more than a million people come to look at and remember Pearl Harbor.

The focal point of remembering has now become a bright white bridge that spans the sunken remains of a war vessel that perished, along with 1,177 crewmen, on Dec. 7, 1941. It has become an icon to people the world over.

What few realize, though, is that this icon almost never became a reality, or that it might have arrived in an unusually different form.

Imagine, for instance, an Arizona Memorial with portholes that dip below sea level so visitors could step into a submerged viewing area. That was the original design submitted by noted architect Alfred Preis. The Navy rejected that concept, and Preis returned with the one that's famous today.

Millions are familiar with the memorial, but not many know much about its background.

On Memorial Day 1962, 200 VIPs boarded an unfinished Arizona Memorial for its dedication. About 800 guests watched from Ford Island. Advertiser library photo • June 1962

If The History Channel decides to correct that oversight, Martinez might be a good place to start. He's a walking encyclopedia of Arizona Memorial details. He welcomes the opportunity to shed light on the background of the shrine, which cost $500,000 — millions in today's money.

In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the law authorizing the building of the Arizona Memorial and Museum. But the project was to be paid for with private money. Where the money came from has been a subject of confusion, Martinez says.

Among the things Martinez would like to set straight is the story of two contributors to the memorial — Ralph Edwards, who is still alive, although largely forgotten, and Elvis Presley.

Edwards was the well-known host of the 1950s TV show "This Is Your Life." Each week the show featured the life story of some unsuspecting person.

"And Edwards generates more than $95,000 nationally. With one program, he raised one-fifth the money needed to build the memorial."

Three years later, the campaign had run out of energy and needed a jump-start. When Presley's noted manager, Col. Tom Parker, heard about it, he and Elvis offered to do a benefit concert for the memorial at Honolulu's Bloch Arena.

That concert produced $64,000 for the memorial. Presley was a major contributor, Martinez said, but the facts dispel "the great myth ... that Elvis Presley built the Arizona Memorial."

Still, legions of Elvis fans are nothing if not tenacious. For years, the National Park Service has been "besieged" with complaints that the memorial makes no mention of Elvis. Yet Martinez says the Park Service has received few, if any, requests to erect a plaque recognizing the contributions of Edwards.

"The thing is, Elvis never wanted credit for it," Martinez said. "Elvis himself sought no publicity, he just felt that it was the patriotic thing to do."

Others on Martinez's underappreciated list are Adm. Arthur W. Radford, commander of the Pacific Fleet following the war; and O'ahu businessman Tucker Gratz — without whom the memorial might never have been built.

This is because Navy brass, particularly Adm. Chester Nimitz, were against the whole memorial notion.

"Nimitz never wanted a memorial built," Martinez said. "He didn't want Pearl Harbor commemorated because he thought the Navy shouldn't commemorate their defeat. As wonderful a leader and as insightful as he was during the war, I would say that his historical perspective was lacking. He was too close to the subject."

For years, the Navy agreed with Nimitz. But folks such as Gratz thought otherwise. Gratz led the drive to create the Pacific War Memorial Commission, which was eventually charged with paying for the shrine.

Meanwhile, Radford, who later became chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, understood the significance of Pearl Harbor and its meaning to Americans. He bucked the prevailing military attitude of the time.

In March 1950, Radford began displaying the U.S. flag over the sunken Arizona. He later built a platform on the ship's above-water midsection to be used for memorial services. Those efforts began the process of transforming an American tragedy into a lasting symbol of enduring freedom.

"But think about it," Martinez said. "He did that in 1950, and it took 12 more years before it became a memorial."

Today, the Navy is fully aware of the importance of the memorial's historic message.

That message transcends generations, says H. Delano Roosevelt of Long Beach, Calif., chairman of the USS Arizona Memorial Fund, which is raising $10 million to expand the memorial museum. He speaks from experience.

The USS Arizona Memorial celebrates its 40th anniversary next weekend. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Roosevelt said the conversation with his two sons occurred one month before Sept. 11. When America did indeed get caught with its pants down on that second day of infamy a month later, Roosevelt said he fully realized that we should never lose sight of what the Arizona Memorial stands for.

"More than ever we have to take heed," he said. "We can now draw parallels to where we were before Pearl Harbor and 9/11."