Events

Pearl Harbor Survivor to Direct ‘Mass Band Performance' on 70th Anniversary of Attack

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battleship Missouri Memorial hosted a mass band performance featuring more than 650 performers from a dozen high school, college and community bands jointly performing patriotic favorites, all under the direction of Pearl Harbor survivor Allen Bodenlos.

Watch Mass Band Performance

The 70th Anniversary Pearl Harbor Mass Band performance took place on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011, pierside at the Missouri. Located a ship's length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Battleship Missouri Memorial completes a historical visitor experience that begins in Pearl Harbor on the "date that will live in infamy" and ends on the USS Missouri (BB-63) on Sept. 2, 1945, with the formal WWII surrender.

From sea to shining sea, the bands are currently fundraising to complete their treks to Pearl Harbor. Joint musical performances will include "The Star Spangled Banner," "Salute to America's Finest," "Amazing Grace," "In Defense of Liberty" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." In addition, the Kilgore College Rangerettes will provide a special featured performance of "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy."

The idea for the mass performance originated with a casual remark by Bodenlos about how powerful student performances are in the context of Pearl Harbor. The area is home to several historic sites — including the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park, Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, and Battleship Missouri Memorial — while remaining an active military base, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

The Battleship Missouri Memorial regularly hosts band performances, but the mass performance on Dec. 7 was unique because of the number of bands involved. The list of participating bands includes:

• Acadiana High School Band from Lafayette, Louisiana
• Downriver Community Band from Wyandotte, Michigan
• Lakeview Centennial High School Band from Garland, Texas
• Lathrop High School Band from Fairbanks, Alaska
• Kilgore College Rangerettes from Kilgore, Texas
• New Philadelphia High School Marching Quaker Band from New Philadelphia, Ohio
• North Vermillion High School Band from Maurice, Louisiana
• Payson Longhorn Marching Band from Pine, Arizona
• Pride of Erath High School Band from Erath, Louisiana
• Ripley Junior Senior High School Band from Ripley, Oklahoma
• Riverview High School Band from Sarasota, Florida
• Sussex Technical High School Band from Georgetown, Delaware

"Sharing the legacy of our veterans with younger generations is part of our mission at the Battleship Missouri Memorial," said Michael A. Carr, the memorial's president and chief operating officer. "It is therefore our pleasure to welcome these fine bands from across the United States as they perform in honor of Pearl Harbor veterans in the presence of the USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri Memorial, symbolic bookends that represent America's role in World War II, from tragedy to victory."

Band members began arriving at 8:45 a.m. to tour the Missouri and take group photos. At 11:30 a.m., guest of honor Bodenlos arrived escorted by the Rangerettes, as other groups lined up on the pier. Performances under Bodenlos' direction began at noon sharp.

The attack of Dec. 7, 1941, is forever etched in history and the hearts of Americans. The number of American casualties that day totaled more than 2,300 sailors, soldiers and civilians. Among the personal items retrieved from the USS Oklahoma, capsized in the attack, were Christmas presents. This among may other facts about the days before Dec. 7 illustrate how quickly the world changed. Pearl Harbor was not the only military installation on Oahu to suffer varying degrees of damage and deaths. Schofield Barracks and Hickam, Wheeler and Bellows Airfields also suffered great losses. The attack ultimately resulted in the United States' entry into World War II, which would become history's most devastating war. WWII ended nearly four years later with Imperial Japan's formal surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay.

Been Kissed Yet?

World War II may have formally ended on the USS Missouri with the signing of Japan’s surrender, but another iconic moment occurred weeks earlier when peace was sealed with a kiss in Times Square.  This moment in history was recreated into a 6-foot sculpture, titled “Unconditional Surrender” now on display at the Battleship Missouri Memorial.  The 6-foot piece was created by Seward Johnson, artist and son of the founder of Johnson and Johnson, and is on loan from The Sculpture Foundation.

Coming Soon

The Battleship Missouri Memorial would like to once again thank all those who played a role in the ship’s drydocking from October 2009 to January 2010, and her ongoing preservation. Looking nearly better than ever, the ship has been primed for renewed visitation ... not to mention major roles in film and TV projects that directly resulted from the ship’s availability prior to reopening last year and her outstanding appearance.

The latest example is the teaser trailer for Universal Pictures’ “Battleship” movie, which was just launched. If you look closely, you’ll see several shots of a very familiar battleship...

The movie looks like it will be a lot of fun for moviegoers, which of course is the film studio’s first priority. But for the Battleship Missouri Memorial and the State of Hawaii, projects such as this provide an opportunity to increase not just national but international awareness of the Missouri as a historic attraction and about her legacy.

Visit the movie website and see the teaser trailer.  Click here to see the trailer.

Friends of the Mighty Mo

To receive invitations to the Battleship Missouri Memorial's public events, such as the Missouri's ceremony commemorating the end of World War II on Sept. 2 and the Veterans Day Sunset Ceremony, sign up as a member of the Friends of the Mighty Mo.

Newsroom

For recent press releases and news coverage, visit the Battleship Missouri Memorial's online Newsroom.