Chapter VI: SIGNIFICANCE: Memorials, Myths And Symbols (continued)

The Symbolic Value of the USS ARIZONA

The USS ARIZONA is the major focal point for visitors to Pearl Harbor. There has been some discussion of whether interest in World War II sites will diminish when the last of the combatants are gone. Such was not the case with the Civil War, as attested by a host of sites, museums and books. The interest in the ARIZONA might decline in future generations, but the basic purpose of the memorial and its dependence on the ship probably make that unlikely. As a naval memorial, the ARIZONA will always be the subject of honor and reflection by the US Navy. To other Americans, the ship and its memorial will continue to be a major American shrine, for it reflects the basic truths of how we perceive and deal with war. It remains a potent symbol, meaning many things to many people. For those survivors of the event, and for the families of those dead entombed in the ship, the ARIZONA is a place to come to confront the past and perhaps come to terms with it.

For many Americans alive on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was a symbol of the nature of the enemy they fought. Propagandists often employ emotion-laden terms, and for war-generation Americans, Japanese military conduct is summed up in phrases like "Rape of Nanking," "Pearl Harbor" and "Bataan Death March." (Dower 1986:28) For some people the ARIZONA symbolizes the character of the enemy attack. While the Japanese were castigated for a "suicide" mentality during the war, particularly Kamikaze plane attacks, Americans also honored the same ideal. Historian John W. Dower notes that "On the eve of Pearl Harbor, one of Hollywood's most popular offerings was They Died With Their Boots On, an Errol Flynn movie commemorating Custer's Last Stand" (Dower 1986:12). For some, then the ARIZONA is a symbol speaking to those values, much like Custer Battlefield or the Alamo. The issue of Japanese "infamy" and "perfidy" will probably ultimately fade. The universal concept of sacrifice and honor of those who died for an ideal will not.

Another part of the symbolism of the USS ARIZONA is the link to the sentiments evoked by the discovery that "our flag was still there." From the star-spangled banner of Fort McHenry to the torn, stained flags of the warships at Pearl Harbor that remained flying even on mostly sunken ships, the image of our flag flying through fierce enemy attack is a cherished notion. The park's discussion paper for a cultural resource management plan notes that "the flagpole/raising of the American flag [on the ARIZONA] is a symbol of America's freedom. It honors and recognizes those who fought and died so that it may continue to fly."

The ultimate symbolism of the USS ARIZONA and the memorial, however, is the basic perception of war and its conduct. To many Americans of an older generation, the ARIZONA, the national symbol of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, also symbolizes the need for preparedness, for military strength, and for alertness. It is also an object lesson for those who vow "never again." It is ironic that the memorial was authorized and built during the Cold War, and thus invoked as a symbol for that day and age:

. . . it is imperative that we be prepared either to win a war against Godless communism or prevent such a war by being so strong that the dictators in Moscow will be afraid to drop the first bomb. It is therefore, appropriate that, through this memorial, we focus our attention on our most striking example of unpreparedness, so that we maybe perpetually reminded of the security that is found in strength.

(Sen Carl Hayden of Arizona, as quoted in Slackman 1984:60).

To a later generation that fought in Vietnam or protested the war, the ARIZONA has been seen as a memorial to the futility of war and the inevitability and finality of death brought by the use of force between nations. Whatever the perception, however, the ARIZONA is a symbol, and the ultimate significance of the vessel and its memorial lies in the ability to be all things to all people. The ARIZONA and the events of December 7, 1941, continue to reflect cherished stories, cultural values and beliefs, not only of Americans but of people from other lands and cultures as they also confront the face of war.

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