top of page

About
History
Plan Your Visit
WWII Programs
Education K-12
Reels and Videos
Events
Newsroom
Ways to Give

National Park Updates

Pearl Harbor Tours

⚪United States Coast Guard Birthday

Sun, Aug 02

|

United States Coast Guard Birthday

⚪United States Coast Guard Birthday

⚪United States Coast Guard Birthday

Time & Location

Aug 02, 2026, 12:00 AM

United States Coast Guard Birthday

Share this event

Help honor the heroes of Pearl Harbor!

The Pearl Harbor Heroes National Campaign supports education, preservation, and remembrance while honoring those who served and sacrificed on December 7, 1941.

Here are a few ways you can get involved (click on the "Pearl Harbor Heroes" link in our bio for more information!):

🔹 Volunteer with Pacific Historic Parks, from special events to trail work, flag folding, and historical research

🔹 Make a one-time or recurring donation to Pacific Historic Parks

🔹 Become a monthly donor and receive special benefits while supporting remembrance and education

🔹 Shop the Pacific Historic Parks Bookstore online or at visitor centers

🔹 Join the Legacy of Remembrance Circle by including Pacific Historic Parks in your estate plans

Learn more: https://pearlharborheroes.org/

📷: Pearl Harbor survivor Everett Hyland is pictured at the USS Arizona Memorial in 2003. Everett was serving aboard USS Pennsylvania on December 7, 1941, when he was severely wounded by a Japanese bomb that exploded near his battle station. After nine months of rehabilitation, he returned to active duty aboard USS Memphis(CL-13).

Everett volunteered at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial beginning in 1995, sharing his story with thousands of visitors. He passed away at the age of 96 in 2019.

#PearlHarborHeroes #PearlHarbor #PHP #PacificHistoricParks #Volunteer #Donate #December7 #RememberHonorUnderstand

Help honor the heroes of Pearl Harbor!

The Pearl Harbor Heroes National Campaign supports education, preservation, and remembrance while honoring those who served and sacrificed on December 7, 1941.

Here are a few ways you can get involved (click on the "Pearl Harbor Heroes" link in our bio for more information!):

🔹 Volunteer with Pacific Historic Parks, from special events to trail work, flag folding, and historical research

🔹 Make a one-time or recurring donation to Pacific Historic Parks

🔹 Become a monthly donor and receive special benefits while supporting remembrance and education

🔹 Shop the Pacific Historic Parks Bookstore online or at visitor centers

🔹 Join the Legacy of Remembrance Circle by including Pacific Historic Parks in your estate plans

Learn more: https://pearlharborheroes.org/

📷: Pearl Harbor survivor Everett Hyland is pictured at the USS Arizona Memorial in 2003. Everett was serving aboard USS Pennsylvania on December 7, 1941, when he was severely wounded by a Japanese bomb that exploded near his battle station. After nine months of rehabilitation, he returned to active duty aboard USS Memphis(CL-13).

Everett volunteered at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial beginning in 1995, sharing his story with thousands of visitors. He passed away at the age of 96 in 2019.

#PearlHarborHeroes #PearlHarbor #PHP #PacificHistoricParks #Volunteer #Donate #December7 #RememberHonorUnderstand

US Army Air Forces Sgt. Henry L. Younge, 20, of Copiague, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 14, 2025.

In the spring of 1945, Henry served as a tail gunner aboard a Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy).

On April 24, during a combat mission to Kawasaki, Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Chiba Prefecture.

Henry survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He died in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.

After the war ended, the American Graves Registration Service was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. They recovered 65 sets of remains from the Tokyo Military Prison, but could not identify any as Henry Younge.

Ultimately US forces interred 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Military Prison in Fort McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Republic of the Philippines.

In March and April 2022, DPAA exhumed the 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Prison Fire, leading to Henry's identification.

He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Aug. 3, 2026.

More information: DPAA.mil

#WorldWarII #WWII #Unknown #POW #PacificWar #PacificTheater #NeverForget #DPAA #Copiague #NewYork #RememberHonorUnderstand

US Army Air Forces Sgt. Henry L. Younge, 20, of Copiague, New York, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Aug. 14, 2025.

In the spring of 1945, Henry served as a tail gunner aboard a Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" bomber assigned to 30th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy).

On April 24, during a combat mission to Kawasaki, Japan, the aircraft was shot down over Chiba Prefecture.

Henry survived the crash but was held as a prisoner of war. He died in the Tokyo Military Prison during a fire on May 26, 1945.

After the war ended, the American Graves Registration Service was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in the Pacific Theater. They recovered 65 sets of remains from the Tokyo Military Prison, but could not identify any as Henry Younge.

Ultimately US forces interred 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Military Prison in Fort McKinley Cemetery, now the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Republic of the Philippines.

In March and April 2022, DPAA exhumed the 39 Unknowns associated with the Tokyo Prison Fire, leading to Henry's identification.

He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Aug. 3, 2026.

More information: DPAA.mil

#WorldWarII #WWII #Unknown #POW #PacificWar #PacificTheater #NeverForget #DPAA #Copiague #NewYork #RememberHonorUnderstand

Image of the Week 🌈

A beautiful double rainbow stretches over @pearlharbornps, with the USS Arizona Memorial visible in the distance.

Hawaii is known as the Rainbow State for good reason. The islands' unique combination of sunshine, passing showers, and steady trade winds creates ideal conditions for rainbows. You can see them year-round, but summer is one of the best times to spot one!

Have you captured a rainbow during your visit to Pearl Harbor or elsewhere in Hawaii? Share your photo in the comments!

📷: Emily Dennis

#Oahu #Hawaii #Rainbow #PearlHarbor #USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PacificHistoricParks #RememberHonorUnderstand #PearlHarborMoments

Image of the Week 🌈

A beautiful double rainbow stretches over @pearlharbornps, with the USS Arizona Memorial visible in the distance.

Hawaii is known as the Rainbow State for good reason. The islands' unique combination of sunshine, passing showers, and steady trade winds creates ideal conditions for rainbows. You can see them year-round, but summer is one of the best times to spot one!

Have you captured a rainbow during your visit to Pearl Harbor or elsewhere in Hawaii? Share your photo in the comments!

📷: Emily Dennis

#Oahu #Hawaii #Rainbow #PearlHarbor #USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PacificHistoricParks #RememberHonorUnderstand #PearlHarborMoments

What happens when a USS Arizona survivor is laid to rest aboard the ship?

USS Arizona survivors of the December 7, 1941, attack were given the option of being interred within the battleship following their death.

In this video, Pearl Harbor National Memorial volunteer Ann Hanson explains how these interments take place. It also includes National Park Service Submerged Resources Center footage (by Brett Seymour) from the interment of Ensign Joseph K. Langdell on December 7, 2015.

Of the 335 USS Arizona survivors, 45 chose to be interred within the ship, beginning with Stanley Teslow in 1982.

The last USS Arizona survivor, Lou Conter, passed away on April 1, 2024, at the age of 102. He chose not to be interred aboard Arizona, but instead to be laid to rest beside his wife, Valerie.

Future interments remain possible if previously unidentified USS Arizona crew members are identified and their families choose to have them laid to rest aboard the ship.

🎥 Video and photos: Jim McCoy (PHP); Brett Seymour (NPS); DVIDShub.net 
🎵 Music: Clavier-Music on Pixabay
Video created by Rebecca Schwab

#USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PearlHarbor #Interment #WWII #WorldWarII #December7 #NPS #PHP #NeverForget #RememberHonorUnderstand

What happens when a USS Arizona survivor is laid to rest aboard the ship?

USS Arizona survivors of the December 7, 1941, attack were given the option of being interred within the battleship following their death.

In this video, Pearl Harbor National Memorial volunteer Ann Hanson explains how these interments take place. It also includes National Park Service Submerged Resources Center footage (by Brett Seymour) from the interment of Ensign Joseph K. Langdell on December 7, 2015.

Of the 335 USS Arizona survivors, 45 chose to be interred within the ship, beginning with Stanley Teslow in 1982.

The last USS Arizona survivor, Lou Conter, passed away on April 1, 2024, at the age of 102. He chose not to be interred aboard Arizona, but instead to be laid to rest beside his wife, Valerie.

Future interments remain possible if previously unidentified USS Arizona crew members are identified and their families choose to have them laid to rest aboard the ship.

🎥 Video and photos: Jim McCoy (PHP); Brett Seymour (NPS); DVIDShub.net 
🎵 Music: Clavier-Music on Pixabay
Video created by Rebecca Schwab

#USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PearlHarbor #Interment #WWII #WorldWarII #December7 #NPS #PHP #NeverForget #RememberHonorUnderstand

#LookingBack: In this photo from December 6, 2011, USS Arizona survivor Lonnie Cook reads the names of his lost shipmates on the Shrine Room wall of the USS Arizona Memorial.

Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Lonnie had finished showering and was getting ready to spend a day of liberty in Honolulu. He was standing near his locker in Turret 3 aboard USS Arizona when he heard a distant rumble.

Moments later, the chief turret captain burst in with the words: "The Japanese are bombing us."

Lonnie and the sailors in Turret 3 prepared to fight, but at approximately 8:10 a.m., a bomb struck Arizona, triggering the catastrophic explosion that claimed the lives of 1,177 Sailors and Marines.

Lonnie escaped through smoke and flames and helped rescue as many shipmates as he could. He would later say that many were unrecognizable due to being so badly injured.

Throughout the rest of World War II, Lonnie served aboard several ships, taking part in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, as well as campaigns in the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

He left the Navy in 1948 and returned home to Oklahoma, where he met his wife, Marietta. They married in Salinas, California, in June 1950 and welcomed their daughter, Pat, in 1956.

Seventy years after surviving the attack, Lonnie returned to Pearl Harbor for the last time to honor the shipmates he never forgot.

Lonnie passed away on July 31, 2019, at the age of 98.

📷: US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dustin W. Sisco

#PearlHarbor #USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PearlHarborsurvivor #WWII #WorldWarII #PearlHarborSurvivor #RememberHonorUnderstand

#LookingBack: In this photo from December 6, 2011, USS Arizona survivor Lonnie Cook reads the names of his lost shipmates on the Shrine Room wall of the USS Arizona Memorial.

Just before 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941, Lonnie had finished showering and was getting ready to spend a day of liberty in Honolulu. He was standing near his locker in Turret 3 aboard USS Arizona when he heard a distant rumble.

Moments later, the chief turret captain burst in with the words: "The Japanese are bombing us."

Lonnie and the sailors in Turret 3 prepared to fight, but at approximately 8:10 a.m., a bomb struck Arizona, triggering the catastrophic explosion that claimed the lives of 1,177 Sailors and Marines.

Lonnie escaped through smoke and flames and helped rescue as many shipmates as he could. He would later say that many were unrecognizable due to being so badly injured.

Throughout the rest of World War II, Lonnie served aboard several ships, taking part in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, as well as campaigns in the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

He left the Navy in 1948 and returned home to Oklahoma, where he met his wife, Marietta. They married in Salinas, California, in June 1950 and welcomed their daughter, Pat, in 1956.

Seventy years after surviving the attack, Lonnie returned to Pearl Harbor for the last time to honor the shipmates he never forgot.

Lonnie passed away on July 31, 2019, at the age of 98.

📷: US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dustin W. Sisco

#PearlHarbor #USSArizona #USSArizonaMemorial #PearlHarborsurvivor #WWII #WorldWarII #PearlHarborSurvivor #RememberHonorUnderstand

#GreatestGeneration: At just 18 years old, U.S. Marine Guy Louis Gabaldon is credited with persuading more than 1,300 Japanese soldiers and civilians to surrender during the battles of Saipan and Tinian in 1944.

Guy grew up in Los Angeles as one of seven children. At age 12, he went to live with the Nakano family, who were of Japanese heritage. They became like family to him, and during those years he learned Japanese language and culture.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nakano family was sent to a relocation camp in Wyoming. Guy enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and, after completing basic training and Japanese language instruction, was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific Theater as a scout and observer.

During the Battle of Saipan, as American forces fought to capture the island, many Japanese soldiers were told to fight to the death or commit suicide rather than surrender.

Drawing on his knowledge of Japanese language and culture, Guy repeatedly approached caves and defensive positions, calling out to those inside that they would be treated humanely if they surrendered. Beginning with just two prisoners on his first day, he eventually convinced hundreds to surrender peacefully, including one group of more than 800 soldiers and civilians.

Guy continued this work on Tinian before being sent back to Saipan, where he was wounded. His injury led to his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps.

Although there is debate over the exact number of prisoners he persuaded to surrender, Guy became known as the "Pied Piper of Saipan." He was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his commanding officer but instead received the Silver Star, which was later upgraded to the Navy Cross.

Guy passed away in August 2006.

#PearlHarbor #RememberHonorUnderstand #Marines #USMC #WWII #WorldWarII #Saipan #Tinian

#GreatestGeneration: At just 18 years old, U.S. Marine Guy Louis Gabaldon is credited with persuading more than 1,300 Japanese soldiers and civilians to surrender during the battles of Saipan and Tinian in 1944.

Guy grew up in Los Angeles as one of seven children. At age 12, he went to live with the Nakano family, who were of Japanese heritage. They became like family to him, and during those years he learned Japanese language and culture.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Nakano family was sent to a relocation camp in Wyoming. Guy enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17 and, after completing basic training and Japanese language instruction, was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific Theater as a scout and observer.

During the Battle of Saipan, as American forces fought to capture the island, many Japanese soldiers were told to fight to the death or commit suicide rather than surrender.

Drawing on his knowledge of Japanese language and culture, Guy repeatedly approached caves and defensive positions, calling out to those inside that they would be treated humanely if they surrendered. Beginning with just two prisoners on his first day, he eventually convinced hundreds to surrender peacefully, including one group of more than 800 soldiers and civilians.

Guy continued this work on Tinian before being sent back to Saipan, where he was wounded. His injury led to his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps.

Although there is debate over the exact number of prisoners he persuaded to surrender, Guy became known as the "Pied Piper of Saipan." He was recommended for the Medal of Honor by his commanding officer but instead received the Silver Star, which was later upgraded to the Navy Cross.

Guy passed away in August 2006.

#PearlHarbor #RememberHonorUnderstand #Marines #USMC #WWII #WorldWarII #Saipan #Tinian

#DidYouKnow: The first shots fired at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, were not by the Japanese.

Early that morning, USS Ward was patrolling outside the entrance to Pearl Harbor when the coastal minesweeper Condor reported a periscope sighting. At 6:37am, USS Ward located the submarine, attacked with depth charges, and fired several rounds from its main guns, sinking what was later confirmed to be one of five Japanese midget submarines sent to assist in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For more than 60 years, many were skeptical that USS Ward had actually sunk a midget submarine. Then, in 2002, University of Hawaii scientists found its remains 1,200 feet below the surface and three miles outside Pearl Harbor. Damage to the submarine confirmed that USS Ward's No. 3 gun had struck the conning tower, causing it to flood and killing both crew members.

That same gun spent 70 years on display outside the Minnesota State Capitol. It is now part of the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minnesota, which opens in September.

📷: USS Ward, May 1942. This gun crew fired the first shot of the war on December 7, 1941. The crew of the USS Ward was made up primarily of Navy reservists from St. Paul, Minnesota. US Navy photo.

#FascinatingFact #RememberHonorUnderstand #PearlHarbor #USSWard #WWII #WWIIHistory #PacificWar #December7

#DidYouKnow: The first shots fired at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, were not by the Japanese.

Early that morning, USS Ward was patrolling outside the entrance to Pearl Harbor when the coastal minesweeper Condor reported a periscope sighting. At 6:37am, USS Ward located the submarine, attacked with depth charges, and fired several rounds from its main guns, sinking what was later confirmed to be one of five Japanese midget submarines sent to assist in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For more than 60 years, many were skeptical that USS Ward had actually sunk a midget submarine. Then, in 2002, University of Hawaii scientists found its remains 1,200 feet below the surface and three miles outside Pearl Harbor. Damage to the submarine confirmed that USS Ward's No. 3 gun had struck the conning tower, causing it to flood and killing both crew members.

That same gun spent 70 years on display outside the Minnesota State Capitol. It is now part of the new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley near Little Falls, Minnesota, which opens in September.

📷: USS Ward, May 1942. This gun crew fired the first shot of the war on December 7, 1941. The crew of the USS Ward was made up primarily of Navy reservists from St. Paul, Minnesota. US Navy photo.

#FascinatingFact #RememberHonorUnderstand #PearlHarbor #USSWard #WWII #WWIIHistory #PacificWar #December7

🇺🇸 Trivia Tuesday Giveaway 🇺🇸

This month, we celebrated America's 250th anniversary. Do you know how many people signed the Declaration of Independence?

Let us know your answer in the comments below for a chance to receive a "Remember Honor Understand" mug (you can see the mug in our shop through the link in our bio).

🇺🇸 America 250 commemorative flags are also still available in our bookstore. Each flag was flown on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor on July 4, 2026, by active-duty U.S. Sailors and Marines (link in bio).

📷: John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence (1819)

#America250 #Independence #DeclarationofIndependence #TriviaTuesday #PearlHarbor #USSArizona #DoYouKnow #USSArizonaMemorial #Giveaway #PacificHistoricParks #RememberHonorUnderstand

🇺🇸 Trivia Tuesday Giveaway 🇺🇸

This month, we celebrated America's 250th anniversary. Do you know how many people signed the Declaration of Independence?

Let us know your answer in the comments below for a chance to receive a "Remember Honor Understand" mug (you can see the mug in our shop through the link in our bio).

🇺🇸 America 250 commemorative flags are also still available in our bookstore. Each flag was flown on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor on July 4, 2026, by active-duty U.S. Sailors and Marines (link in bio).

📷: John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence (1819)

#America250 #Independence #DeclarationofIndependence #TriviaTuesday #PearlHarbor #USSArizona #DoYouKnow #USSArizonaMemorial #Giveaway #PacificHistoricParks #RememberHonorUnderstand

#SilentHeroes: S2c Joseph Hoffer, born on April 16, 1919, in Clifton, New Jersey, was the youngest of four siblings from a Hungarian-American family.

Joseph enlisted in the US Navy in August 1943. In 1944, he traveled to Pearl Harbor and joined the crew of the destroyer USS Pringle, which was preparing for an upcoming mission in Saipan.

The USS Pringle spent July and August of 1944 in Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, taking part in battles that saw US forces gain more control as they broke down Japan's defenses. In early 1945, they started preparing to invade Okinawa.

The Battle of Okinawa, which began in April 1945, was the last major battle of the Pacific War. The USS Pringle providing screening operations for amphibious landings on Okinawa.

On April 16th, three kamikaze planes approached the Pringle, with one causing a devastating blow that saw the destroyer sink in less than 6 minutes. Joseph was one of more than 60 crew members who lost their lives. He died on his 25th birthday.

Source: Yasmin Obeidallah https://nhdsilentheroes.org/profiles/seaman-second-class-joseph-j-hoffer/

#PearlHarbor #CliftonNJ #PacificWar #PacificTheater #Saipan #Guam #Tinian #BattleofOkinawa #Kamikaze #KIA #NeverForget #RememberHonorUnderstand

#SilentHeroes: S2c Joseph Hoffer, born on April 16, 1919, in Clifton, New Jersey, was the youngest of four siblings from a Hungarian-American family.

Joseph enlisted in the US Navy in August 1943. In 1944, he traveled to Pearl Harbor and joined the crew of the destroyer USS Pringle, which was preparing for an upcoming mission in Saipan.

The USS Pringle spent July and August of 1944 in Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, taking part in battles that saw US forces gain more control as they broke down Japan's defenses. In early 1945, they started preparing to invade Okinawa.

The Battle of Okinawa, which began in April 1945, was the last major battle of the Pacific War. The USS Pringle providing screening operations for amphibious landings on Okinawa.

On April 16th, three kamikaze planes approached the Pringle, with one causing a devastating blow that saw the destroyer sink in less than 6 minutes. Joseph was one of more than 60 crew members who lost their lives. He died on his 25th birthday.

Source: Yasmin Obeidallah https://nhdsilentheroes.org/profiles/seaman-second-class-joseph-j-hoffer/

#PearlHarbor #CliftonNJ #PacificWar #PacificTheater #Saipan #Guam #Tinian #BattleofOkinawa #Kamikaze #KIA #NeverForget #RememberHonorUnderstand

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) cooperating association that provides support to four national parks and one state park.

Proud partner of the National Park Service

© 2025 Pacific Historic Parks. All Rights Reserved. | State Disclosures
Pacific Historic Parks is a 501(c)(3) Non-profit Organization, Tax ID 99-0194501

bottom of page