DONORS STEP UP TO KEEP PEARL HARBOR NATIONAL MEMORIAL AND USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL OPEN
Thursday, October 2, 2025
PEARL HARBOR, HI (October 2, 2025) – In an effort to keep the Pearl Harbor National Memorial – home of the USS Arizona Memorial – open to the public during the federal government shutdown, supporters have begun stepping up in monetary donations for the cause.
Pacific Historic Parks received a generous $5,000 donaCon from E Noa CorporaCon to the Pearl Harbor Heroes Campaign, helping to keep the Pearl Harbor NaConal Memorial and USS Arizona Memorial open to visitors and small school groups during the ongoing federal government shutdown. PHP is the official non-profit partner of the NaConal Park Service in stewardship of the Pearl Harbor NaConal Memorial, the top visitor desCnaCon on the island of Oahu.
On October 1, 2025, most naConal parks across the United States were forced to close due to the government shutdown. Pacific Historic Parks President and CEO Aileen U2erdyke noted that the Pearl Harbor NaConal Memorial was the only naConal park in the naCon to stay open on Wednesday thanks to private funding. Like the previous government shutdown in 2018, PHP and its three other Pearl Harbor Historic Sites’ museum partners overwhelmingly agreed to provide funding to keep the enCre Pearl Harbor NaConal Memorial campus open.
“Thanks to the support of donors, Pearl Harbor museum partners, and community members, Pacific Historic Parks is covering the minimum daily operaConal costs to ensure that our visitors to Hawaii and local schoolchildren can conCnue to experience Pearl Harbor and honor the legacy of World War II service members,” U2erdyke said.
Utterdyke presented E Noa Corporation president Maki Kuroda with specially flown American flags that were raised over the USS Arizona Memorial. E Noa Corporation was also recognized as a Diamond Level Corporate Member of the Pearl Harbor Heroes Campaign, with its company logo now proudly displayed on the Digital Donor Wall at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.
The Pearl Harbor Heroes Campaign is a multi-year effort to fund critical projects, including replacing the sinking theater at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, restoring the USS Oklahoma and USS Utah Memorials, and establishing a permanent Educational Endowment to ensure all students can experience Pearl Harbor’s history free of financial barriers.
Pacific Historic Parks extends its heartfelt gratitude to E Noa Tours and invites other companies and individuals to join as Pearl Harbor Heroes. Donations can be made
“We could not do all the wonderful things we do for the National Park Service, our veterans, our visitors, and most importantly our schoolchildren without the generous support of donors like E Noa Tours,” said Utterdyke. “Their commitment ensures that the story of Pearl Harbor and the sacrifice of our heroes will continue to inspire future generations.”
Maki Kuroda, President of E Noa Corporation, said: “I am truly honored to have the opportunity to build such a meaningful partnership with Pacific Historic Parks. On behalf of all of us, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Pacific Historic Parks for their tireless efforts in keeping this sacred place open and thriving. This means so much to our community, and to our visitors.”
All four Pearl Harbor Historic Sites – Pearl Harbor NaConal Memorial (USS Arizona Memorial), Ba2leship Missouri Memorial, Pearl Harbor AviaCon Museum, and Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum – will remain open and operate at normal hours during the government shutdown.
Pacific Historic Parks
Pacific Historic Parks is the official non-profit partner of the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Through education, interpretive programs, research, preservation and restoration, PHP welcomes more than 1.7 million visitors annually to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, home of the USS Arizona Memorial. For visitor information and updates, please visit www.pacifichistoricparks.org.
About the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites
Welcoming more than 1.5 million visitors each year, the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites include four independent memorials and operated by private, nonprofit organizaCons. Together, in partnership, they carry forth the legacies of several of our naCon’s most treasured icons, enduring tributes to the valor and sacrifices of our veterans during a Cme when the future of our naCon and the world truly hung in the balance. The result is a powerful visitor desCnaCon and cumulaCve educaConal experience that has grown. For more informaCon, visit www.PearlHarborHistoricSites.org.