"IN THESE GARDENS ARE RECORDED
THE NAMES OF AMERICANS
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY
AND WHOSE EARTHLY RESTING PLACE
IS KNOWN ONLY TO GOD"


Built in 1948 this National Cemetery is located in the Pu'owaina Crater (Punchbowl). In ancient times this crater was known as the "Hill of Sacrifice". So today the cemetery is a memorial to the sacrifice made by the men and women in the United States Armed Services. Dedicated on September 2, 1949, 776 casualties from the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor were among the first to be buried here.

The Honolulu Memorial was erected by the American Battle Monuments Commission in 1964 and dedicated in 1966. It was erected to honor sacrifices and achievement of American Armed Forces in the Pacific during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

  Punchbowl National Cemetery
Arial view of Punchbowl
The impressive memorial sits high on the wall of the crater overlooking the graves area of the cemetery. It consists of a non-sectarian chapel, two map galleries, a monumental staircase leading from the crater floor to the Court of Honor, and ten Courts of the Missing. A total of 28,778 names are inscribe on the ten Courts of the Missing which flank the staircase.

On the front of the tower which houses the chapel is a 30-foot female figure known as "Columbia" standing on the symbolized prow of a US Navy carrier with a laurel branch in her left hand and the inscription by President Lincoln "…The Solemn Pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom".

  Punchbowl National Cemetery
Arial view of Punchbowl
Lady Columbia symbolizes all grieving mothers and looks out on the cemetery that fills the 116-acre Punchbowl Crater. The view from the Punchbowl encompasses the city of Honolulu from Waikiki and Diamond Head to Pearl Harbor.

The Pu'owaina crater (commonly called "Punchbowl" due to its shape) was formed around 75,000 years ago when Honolulu was undergoing a secondary period of volcanic activity. The Punchbowl National Cemetery was built inside the crater in 1948. Over 13,000 men and women who died in service during World War II were buried then including 776 who perished in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. Since its opening, 34,000 veterans of WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War have been interred at Punchbowl National Cemetery.


Monuments and Memorials

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific contains a memorial pathway that is lined with a variety of memorials that honor America’s veterans from various organizations. As of 2008, there were 56 such memorials throughout the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific—most commemorating soldiers of 20th-century wars, including those killed at Pearl Harbor.



Punchbowl Pictures


Punchbowl National Cemetery Punchbowl National Cemetery Punchbowl National Cemetery


National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific


National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The National Memorial Cemetery
of the Pacific occupies much
of Punchbowl Crater. 		National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The memorial contains a small
chapel and tribute to the various
battles fought in the Pacific. 		National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The walls of the memorial are
etched with names of those who
were never recovered from battle.


National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The dedication stone at the
base of staircase. 		National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Lady Columbia 		National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Like Arlington, the National
Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
is one of the most prominent of
the many national cemeteries
in the United States.







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