Remembrance Circle

A Rainbow arches across the sky above Remembrance Circle

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The events at Pearl Harbor awakened the local military and civilian residents to the character of war. A total of 2,390 American service members and civilians were killed at Pearl Harbor due to the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

• Of the 2,341 service members that died on Dec. 7, 1941, almost half died on the USS Arizona, a total of 1,177. There were 38 sets of brothers on board USS Arizona, including three sets of three brothers. Of those 79 people, 63 died as a result of the attack.

• The second largest loss of life was on the USS Oklahoma, with 429 lost. From Dec 1941 through June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of those who perished on Oklahoma. Only 35 men were identified, and nearly 400 unidentified remains were buried as Unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 2015, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, exhumed the unknown remains and began the lengthy identification process. So far, over 100 sailors and Marines from Oklahoma have been identified and returned home.

• Hickam Field followed, with a loss of 191 people, including five civilians.

• The USS West Virginia and the USS California followed, with 106 and 105 lost, respectively.

• A total of 49 civilians were killed as a result of the December 7 attack, some by the enemy and some by friendly fire.