On the 80th anniversary of his death, war correspondent Ernie Pyle was honored by relatives and friends at Ie Shima, Okinawa, where an obelisk stands near where he died on April 18, 1945. He was also honored on Friday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu, where he was reburied in 1949, in a ceremony hosted by the Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation. Ernie started covering the war in 1940 during the Blitz in London. He spent time embedded with troops in the North Africa in 1942 and 1943, and then in Italy and France in 1944. He became very well known for his stories about ordinary soldiers and down-to-earth wartime reporting. Ernie was with the 77th Infantry Division during the Battle of Okinawa when he was killed after his jeep came under fire. Photos and video at Punchbowl: Jim McCoy Video created by Rebecca Schwab

"Rosie the Riveter" Ginger Price, 92, and "Rosebud" Barbara Snyder, 86, from the state of Arizona Rosie organization, came to Hawaii on March 19th, flying courtesy of Southwest Airlines. They met with the public and signed Rosie posters during a special appearance at Waikiki’s International Market Place on March 20th, and did so again outside the Pearl Harbor National Memorial bookstore on National Rosie the Riveter Day, March 21st! Ginger and Barbara also had the opportunity to pay their respects at the USS Arizona Memorial. During World War II, Ginger raised money as a student to buy war bonds in support of the war effort. “Rosebud” Barbara is the daughter of a Rosie; her late mother worked as a factory riveter building warships in Detroit, Michigan. Video and photos: Jim McCoy, Shane Kaneshiro, and Desiree Hidaro Music: Maksym Malko from Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on May 8, 1945, marked the end of World War II in Europe with Germany’s surrender. However, the war raged on in the Pacific. After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender in mid-August. The formal surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945 - almost four months after the end of war in Europe - became known as Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day) and brought a complete end to World War II. Music: Zakhar Valaha from Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

WWII combat veteran John Gleeson, 101, served with the Mighty 8th Air Force as a B-24 flight engineer. He played a vital role in keeping his crew airborne on critical missions, including top-secret OSS night operations. John, who has lived in Hawaii since 1972, recently came to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial with Beyond The Call to meet with visitors. Video and photos: Jim McCoy (PHP) and Tracie Hunter (WWII Beyond the Call) Music: Ashot Danielyan from Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Pearl Harbor survivor Ken Stevens died on March 20, 2025. He was two months shy of turning 103. Ken was one of only two Pearl Harbor survivors to attend the 83rd Commemoration in December 2024; he was joined by Ira Schab, 104, of Beaverton, Oregon. Ken's funeral service was held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Powers, Oregon. He was buried in the Aloha shirt he wore to the 83rd Commemoration. Video and images: Sam Stevens; US Navy; Smithsonian Air and Space Museum; PHP Audio: Music by Ashot Danielyan from Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Just before his 96th birthday, Pearl Harbor survivor Jessie Mahaffey talked about his “bonus years” with his family. Jessie survived the capsizing of the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. He went on to serve throughout the war, then returned to his home state of Louisiana, where he married and raised a family. Jessie passed away on March 1, 2025, at the age of 102. Video courtesy of Brooke Mahaffey

Pearl Harbor survivor Jessie Mahaffey, 102, passed away on March 1, 2025. Jessie joined the US Navy in 1941 after graduating high school in Louisiana. He was assigned to USS Oklahoma and was aboard the ship on December 7, 1941. Just weeks before, he had received a promotion and transferred from the powder room to the deck. Jessie and five other sailors were busy scrubbing the deck in preparation for an inspection that morning, when suddenly the attack began. Early on, Oklahoma was hit by multiple torpedoes and quickly rolled over. Jessie and other sailors crawled up the deck and slid down the side, escaping the capsizing ship. Four hundred and twenty nine of his fellow USS Oklahoma crewmembers died in the attack, many of them trapped below decks - including the sailors at Jessie’s former battle station. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Jessie survived the sinking of the USS Northampton during the Battle of Tassafaronga in Nov/Dec 1942, waiting throughout the night on a raft before being rescued. When the war ended, he returned to Louisiana in 1945, married, had a family, and worked for the phone company for 30 years. Over the decades, he developed deep ties with his community and was greatly loved. He was preceded in death by his wife Joyce and is survived by two sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and a great-great grandchild. Jesse’s funeral was held on March 8th at Warren Meadows Funeral Home in Many, Louisiana. Video and photos: Brooke Mahaffey Music: “A Gentle Breeze” by Good_B_Music on Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Have you ever wondered what happens during an interment at USS Arizona? USS Arizona survivors of the December 7, 1941, attack were given the option of being interred within the ship upon their death. Here Pearl Harbor National Memorial volunteer Ann Hanson speaks to visitors at the USS Arizona Memorial Shrine Room about how those interments took place. The video includes National Park Service footage (by Brett Seymour) of the interment of Ensign Joseph K. Langdell on December 7, 2015. Of the 335 USS Arizona survivors, 45 have been interred into the ship - starting with Stanley Teslow in 1982. The last USS Arizona survivor, Lou Conter, passed away on April 1, 2024, at the age of 102, and he chose not to be interred but instead to be laid to rest next to his wife Valerie. Video and photos: Jim McCoy (PHP); Brett Seymour (NPS); DVIDS Music: “Magic Night” by Clavier-Music on Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab