Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery in Oahu, Hawaii
A must see attraction on the island of Oahu is the National Memorial Cemetery. It was built in 1948 in the Pu’owaina Crater, which means Hill of Sacrifice. The Cemetery is also known as the Punchbowl. Among all of America’s National Cemetery’s, this one is known for being beautiful and one the most moving.
On September 2nd, 1949 the dedication ceremony took place for the Memorial site. Some of the first people to be buried there were 776 casualties from the attacks on Pearl Harbor that happened on the other side of the island. It also honors people from World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam and their family members. It is now filled to capacity with 33,230 gravesites.
There aren’t many other National Cemeteries that can compete with the dramatic natural setting as the Punchbowl has. It was formed nearly 75,000 years ago by one of Honolulu’s Volcanoes. The hot lava formed a big crater that resembles a punchbowl.
At the site they also have a building that is dedicated to honoring men and women from all the different branches of the military and the different wars. They have a small chapel to pay your respects in, maps of the war areas, history on each military branch, and a wall honoring people missing in action. It is said to have 22,778 people’s names on it.
It is very interesting going inside the building and looking at all the names. I also really enjoyed reading up on some of the history they had posted on the walls. There was so much to look at in there. Also make sure you sign the guestbook. It is a neat way to let people know you were there.
Throughout the grounds there are stones with phrases written on them and statues that have a lot of meaning. In front of the building overlooking the 116 acre cemetery is a large statue of Lady Colombia. She symbolizes all the grieving mothers of those who lost their lives. The phrase at the bottom of the statue says “The Solemn Pride That Must Be Yours To Have Laid So Costly a Sacrifice Upon the Altar of Freedom.” I think that phrase says it all and says it well for a grieving mother.
There is also a building that you can go in to, that has a computer that allows you to look up people’s names and tells you where they are buried. So if you have a friend, family member, or acquaintance that you know is buried there, you can find them really easily. We looked up our last names just to see how many people there shared the same last name as we have.
This is an amazing place to see. It is a very somber moment as you walk through the cemetery and see all the head stones and read their names and what war they were in. These are all heroes that are laid to rest here. It is an honor to walk through this place filled with so many people with purple hearts and other high honors. What really made me think is seeing all the headstones marked unknown. Then it said what war they were in and the dates of the war. The majority of them were from Pearl Harbor.
As you stand on top of the stairs of the Monument, you can see the cemetery grounds filled with flowers and American Flags. In the distance you can see the city of Honolulu. And off to the right you can see the large extinct volcano called Diamond Head. It is another amazing view of the island. So if you get to the island of Oahu, add this breath taking and emotional National Memorial Cemetery to your must see list.
