US Army Museum of Hawaii - Honolulu, Hawaii - A Tribute to Hawaii's Defenders

The US Army Museum of Hawaii is located in the Battery Randolph at Waikiki's Fort DeRussy. Exhibits and educational programs that recall the role of Hawaii in military actions from ancient tribal days through the Vietnam Conflict are its focus.

Silent helicopters, tanks and guns along with vacant bunkers give testament to more turbulent times. This area was once a bastion that protected the island from invading forces. Now, separate displays with photographs and sounds recreate the experiences of the past.

The objective of the museum is to tell the stories of the men and women who shaped Hawaii's heritage. There are tributes to warriors who built a kingdom here, soldiers who defended Oahu from attacks, and local individuals who served their country to keep it free.

The exhibits are separated into several sections as a kind of chronology of military involvement. Visitors start out in the Introduction Foyer and move on to the gallery of Hawaiian Warfare, which depicts the lives of warriors and their weaponry a thousand years before Columbus sailed to the "New World.''

One display is dedicated to Camp McKinley, the first U.S. Army camp in Hawaii, established in 1898 in what is now Kapiolani Park. It housed the 1st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment who traveled here by ship.

Another display features the first test firings of the guns of Battery Randolph in November 1914. Waikiki residents were warned to expect commotion, but shock waves rocked the neighborhood breaking windows and causing more than a little distress. In later years, as Waikiki grew, the guns were muzzled to avoid disturbing community life.

Of course, there is an extensive exhibit given over to the events of December 7, 1941. The attack on Pearl Harbor is shown through photographs and artifacts. And there is also a section on Hawaii's 160,000 ethnic Japanese, a third of the total population, many of whom were arrested and relocated after the attack.

The loyalty and enthusiasm of many Americans of Japanese ancestry was channeled into the Hawaiian Provisional Battalion. Its soldiers were sent in 1942 to the mainland for training, and they later became the 100th Infantry Battalion. Their story is also on display.

Other exhibits include those on island defense and army aviation. There is a shell magazine replica on display, and special sections showing Hawaii's role in the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict are also provided.

One gallery and its adjoining theater are reserved for temporary exhibits. By introducing new presentations from time to time, the museum is kept fresh for return visitors. There is a gift shop, too, where postcards and other memorabilia can be purchased.

Perhaps the most intriguing exhibit at the US Army Museum of Hawaii is its exceptional Gallery of Heroes on the second floor. Developed in 1980, it honors 18 local recipients of the nation's two highest awards of valor: the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross. Across from the Gallery in another room is a separate display honoring 41 Hawaii residents who have received the Distinguished Service Cross of the Navy or Air Force Cross.

Responsible for the care of the museum and its exhibits is the non-profit Hawaii Army Museum Society, chartered in 1976. It staffs the museum and the gift shop, seeing that proceeds are used for maintenance and expansion. One service the Society has added in recent years is a Vet Search, which allows relatives and friends to look up local members of the military.

The U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii is open to the general public from 10am to 4pm daily except Mondays and the corner of Saratoga and Kalia Road. Admission is free of charge, although donations are always welcome. To get there, take Ala Moana Boulevard into Waikiki and turn right onto Kalia Road. The museum is on the right; pay parking available next to Fort DeRussy.