Gallery

Proposals for memorials to honor those who died in the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack began as early as 1943.  In 1949, the Territory of Hawaii established the Pacific War Memorial Commission as a first step in memorializing the tragic attack. Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, ordered a flagpole erected over the sunken battleship the USS Arizona soon afterwards. Paul R. Williams is shown in this 1952 photograph with two officers of the Disabled Veterans of American (DAV) attending the official groundbreaking ceremonies for the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Williams was selected as the architect for the DAV’s "Unknown Sailor Memorial." This unrealized monument was to be funded by donations to honor dead naval heroes.