After 91 years, Smith's Union Bar - Hawaii's oldest bar and one that was specifically frequented by USS Arizona sailors before the Pearl Harbor attack - is likely closing soon, as the landlord has chosen not to renew the lease. Photos and video: Jim McCoy Music: Dmitrii Kolesnikov/Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

The America250 flag, a single U.S. flag traveling to historic military locations around the world in honor of the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday, arrived at Pearl Harbor recently, where it was raised above the USS Arizona Memorial by National Park Service rangers. After flying over American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in Europe, the flag reached Hawaii and was raised at four of the harbor’s most sacred sites: the USS Arizona, USS Utah, USS Oklahoma, and Battleship Missouri Memorials. Pearl Harbor marks the flag’s first U.S. stop before it continues to military sites across the Pacific, then to the continental United States. Beginning on the West Coast, the flag will travel across the country and culminate with final flyings in the 13 original colonies ahead of July 4, 2026. “As we look toward America’s 250th anniversary, the flag’s visit to Pearl Harbor reminds us of the courage, unity, and resilience that define our nation,” said Aileen Utterdyke, President and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks (PHP), the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service at Pearl Harbor. “This is where our country’s history was forever changed on December 7, 1941, and where generations continue to come to reflect, remember and honor those who served." Photos and video: Jim McCoy, Shane Kaneshiro Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Pearl Harbor survivor Raymond Wans, now 101, enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 17 in March 1941. After training, he was assigned to a brand new seaplane tender, USS Curtiss, and sent to Pearl Harbor. After bringing aircrew and cargo to Wake Island, USS Curtiss arrived back at Pearl Harbor just days before the attack. On December 7th, Ray was on cooking duties and peeling an apple when he heard a plane dive. He looked out and saw a bomb drop on the airstrip at Ford Island. Ray ran to his battle station. Bombs and strafing caused fires on the ship, but USS Curtiss stayed afloat. In all, 20 crew members were killed, including Ray’s close friend Nick Ganas. Ray continued to serve on USS Curtiss until July 1943. He then transferred to other ships and continued serving in the Pacific. He was only about 200 miles from Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on Aug 6, 1945. He left the Navy in October 1945 and lived in Washington with his family. Ray said it was his love of music (which he shared with another good friend and fellow USS Curtiss crew member Robert Fernandez) that helped him get through the war. Photos and video: Jim McCoy, Chase Nuuhiwa, Raymond Wans, US Navy archive footage. Music: Ashot Danielyan/Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

In this interview, US Navy veteran CR Drumheller talks about his close friendship with Pearl Harbor survivor Sterling Cale. CR started his service at Pearl Harbor in the 1980s, working in satellite communications all around the Pacific Theater. He later volunteered for submarine service, serving on the last two Sturgeon-class attack submarines - USS L. Mendel Rivers and USS Richard B. Russell. After teaching at sub school, he went aboard USS Columbia for five years, spent time in Tennessee as a detailer, and finally found himself back in Pearl Harbor aboard USS Pasadena. He now works with the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (SUBPAC) and serves as Commander of American Legion Post 17 in Hawaii. Uncle Sterling, as he was affectionately known, was a longtime Hawaii resident who met and shared his stories with thousands of visitors at Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Starting in 2019, CR assisted Sterling during these visits. On December 7, 1941, Sterling was a 20-year-old pharmacist mate assigned to the U.S. Naval Hospital and had just finished an overnight shift when heard gunfire and saw puffs of smoke. At first he thought a training exercise was taking place, but then he saw a plane with the rising sun. He rushed to the harbor and helped retrieve 46 men from the burning waters. In the following days, he was assigned to remove remains from the USS Arizona. Sterling didn’t visit the USS Arizona Memorial until 1974, twelve years after it opened, due to his difficult memories of the attack. Uncle Sterling passed away on January 20, 2024, age 102, surrounded by family at his Aiea home. Photos and video: Jim McCoy, Westin Saito Music: Ashot Danielyan/Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

"Rosie the Riveter" Mae Krier, now 99, was just 17 when she left Dawson, North Dakota in 1943 to work in Seattle on B-17s and B-29s at a Boeing aircraft plant. In May 1944, Mae and her co-workers signed their names on the 5,000th B-17, assembled at their plant. In the years after the war, Mae worked hard to see Rosies recognized. In 2020, legislation was finally passed to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to Mae and the millions of other women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war years, building planes and ships while the men served on the frontlines. The Congressional Gold Medal - the highest civilian honor - was awarded to all Rosies on April 10, 2024, at the US Capitol in Washington DC. Mae’s full interview will be posted soon on our website: https://www.pacifichistoricparks.org/rosies More about the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal: https://rosietheriveter.net/rosie-the-riveter-congressional-gold-medal/ 📷: Jim McCoy, Westin Saito, Mae Krier, Library of Congress, Harold M. Lambert/Getty, Legacy Washington, Washington State Archives, American Air Museum archive 🎵: Ashot Danielyan/Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Joyce Taylor, 85, was just a few years old when her father’s submarine disappeared during its 12th war patrol in early 1944. Paul Westley Swinson, from Kinston, North Carolina, served as a steward's mate 2nd class aboard USS Gudgeon in the Pacific Theater. Commissioned on April 21, 1941, USS Gudgeon was the first American submarine to sink an enemy warship in World War II and scored a total of 14 confirmed kills during her time in service. However, after a stop at Johnston Island on April 7, 1944, USS Gudgeon and her crew were never seen or heard from again. Two months later, the submarine was declared overdue and presumed sunk by an enemy attack near Iwo Jima or the Maug Islands. Paul was 27 years old when he died. Joyce and her daughter, Donna Peel, came to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial this month with the help of a non-profit called Wish of a Lifetime, which grants wishes to seniors across the country. They had the chance to see the USS Bowfin submarine, which also served in the Pacific Theater, and other sites at Pearl Harbor National Memorial, including the USS Arizona Memorial. 📷: Jim McCoy and Wish of a Lifetime 🎵: Nikita Kondrashev from Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

In this interview, Pearl Harbor survivor Forrest Stidham, 102, talks about his experience on December 7, 1941. Forrest witnessed the beginning of the attack from his barracks on Ford Island and then helped crewmembers escape from USS Arizona. He went on to serve throughout the Pacific Theater as an aerial gunner during World War II. You can find his full interview here: https://www.pacifichistoricparks.org/oral-histories/forest-stidham 📷: Forrest Stidham, Jim McCoy, and Westin Saito 🎵: Ashot Danielyan on Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

The 20th Annual Joint Memorial Service - in remembrance of the Japanese American soldiers who fought and died during World War II in the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion - was held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 28, 2025. On December 9, 1945, veterans of the 100th and the 442nd, along with two other organizations, held their first joint memorial service for their fallen comrades at McKinley High School. In 1949, after the first Japanese American World War II burials of soldiers who had initially been buried overseas took place in Punchbowl, another joint memorial service was held at the cemetery’s flagpole. Today, Punchbowl is the final resting place for more than 3,200 men of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. Their descendants carry on the joint memorial service begun by their fathers. 📷: Jim McCoy and Shane Kaneshiro 🎵: Clavier-Music via Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab