World War II nurse Alice Beck Darrow, 106, donated a bullet that was once lodged in her husband’s heart to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Fire Controlman Dean Darrow survived the Pearl Harbor attack after being thrown off USS West Virginia and escaped without major injuries - or so he thought. After he was cleared for duty in the Pacific, his health quickly deteriorated over the next couple months and an x-ray determined he had a bullet lodged in the muscle of his heart. Heart surgery at the time was rare, and survival seemed unlikely. So when Dean struck up a friendship with his nurse, Alice (who went by “Becky” because of her last name), he didn’t hesitate to ask her to go on liberty with him if he recovered. They went on to marry and have four children. Dean passed away in 1991 at age 74. By donating the bullet, Alice said she hopes to share the story of her husband’s incredible survival with the visitors at Pearl Harbor. Images: Lee Collins/PHP, Hawaii News Now, DVIDS, Stanford University Music: Chandan Kunwor via Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

USMC veteran Robert Hartline served as a pilot during World War II, as part of Squadron VMF-223. His first duty was ferrying Navy planes from the east coast to the west coast; later, he was sent to Okinawa. In this interview, he talks about some of his responsibilities during the war. The full interview will be posted soon on our website: www.pacifichistoricparks.org. Robert plans to attend this year’s 84th Commemoration at Pearl Harbor! Interview by Jim McCoy and Westin Saito 📷: PHP; Robert Hartline; US military 🎵: Clavier Music Video created by Rebecca Schwab

“Rosie” Erlinda Avila and WWII veteran Patrick Zilliacus met each other this month at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as Punchbowl. The veterans were hosted on the tour by WWII Beyond The Call, and Erlinda and family members were hosted by patriotic and proud American Rosie supporters. Patrick, born in Finland in 1926, came to the United States just before World War II. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy in 1943 and served on the submarine USS Spot (SS-413) in the Pacific Theater. After the war, Patrick served in the active reserve until 1961. As a teenager, Erlinda, of Phoenix, Arizona, started working as a riveter on B-25 bombers. After her brother was drafted, she had also attempted to join the army but was turned away for being female. When she learned that women were needed to work in the defense plant, she pursued that instead. 📷: Tamara Zuniga-Brown; PHP; DVIDs; www.airfields-freeman.com; Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; www.azcentral.com 🎵: Ashot Danielyan via Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Work began last week to remove two World War II-era mooring platforms attached to the hull of USS Arizona. There will be days where visitors will not have access to the USS Arizona Memorial due to this ongoing preservation work. However, when possible, the U.S. Navy and the National Park Service will do "drive by" visits by boat in the vicinity of the memorial, with information about the platform project and Pearl Harbor stories. Pearl Harbor National Memorial continues to be open, and the virtual reality center, audio tours, and museums continue to be available. Our partners - the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, and the Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum - are also open to visitors. Images and video: Jim McCoy/PHP, DVIDS Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band performed this weekend at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, kicking off commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Thirteen World War II veterans were also in attendance! WWII veteran Leon Silverman opened the concert with “God Bless America.”

In this interview at the American Legion National Headquarters Convention this month, Lyman Brenner talks about his father's friend, who was killed in Saipan. 1st Lt. Lyman Earl “Dutch” Reifsnyder, born in Altoona, Pennsylvania on February 9, 1920, attended Millersville University, where he excelled at sports. One day before graduating in 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He later received his commission and was sent to the Pacific Theater with the 3rd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division in early 1944. On June 18, 1944, during the invasion of Saipan, Lyman’s platoon came under heavy fire. After leading the withdrawal of his squads, he voluntarily stayed behind to care for the wounded. He was killed by enemy fire while rendering first aid to his fellow Marines. He was 24. Lyman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and a presidential citation. 📷: PHP; Albert Ledoux; Michel Beckers; public domain military footage 🎵: Ashot Danielyan, Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

At the VFW National Convention in Ohio this month, Hannah Blurton shared the story of her great uncle, S1c John Karli, who was aboard USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. John was killed in the attack, and for decades the family had no closure because his remains could not be identified and returned home. Instead, he was buried as an Unknown at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) in Honolulu, HI. In 2018, the Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency identified his remains, and on May 1, 2019, he was buried with his mother and father. 📷: Hannah Blurton; ABC7; PHP 🎵: Ashot Danielyan via Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab

Pearl Harbor survivor Freeman Kimball Johnson, of Centerville, MA, was 19 when he joined the US Navy from his home state of Massachusetts. His first assignment was aboard USS St. Louis, moored at Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, USS St. Louis was in the Navy yard, having just had #7 boiler repaired. Freeman could hear the sounds of the attack as he worked below decks to reassemble #7 boiler so the ship could get underway. By the time he got topside, USS St. Louis was out to sea. The ship became known as the “Lucky Lou,” because no one aboard was injured and the ship itself sustained no damage. Here Freeman describes what took place that morning, and how everything changed after the attack. Watch Freeman’s full interview here: https://www.pacifichistoricparks.org/oral-histories/freeman-johnson Photos and video: The Johnson family; US Navy; PHP; the Wiener Holocaust Library Collections; Carl Mydans / The LIFE Picture Collection Music: Ashot Danielyan via Pixabay Video created by Rebecca Schwab