"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

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