Episode Guest
David Kilton, Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services Lead
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
Park Stats
- Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
- Date designated: March 12, 2019
- President when the monument was created: Donald J Trump
- Park size: 21.3 acres
- Number of visitors last year: 1,577,798 people in 2024
- Interesting Facts:
- The attack on Pearl Harbor was what brought the US into WWII
- The attack killed more than 2300 military and civilians
- USS Arizona Memorial was built between 1961 – 1962
- Elvis Presley performed a benefit concert to raise money for the memorial
- Survivors of the USS Arizona can choose to have their ashes entombed on the ship
- Includes Memorials to the USS Arizona, USS Utah, and USS Oklahoma
Speed Round
What is your earliest park memory?
It would be going to the Grand Canyon. I lived in Arizona at the time and I vaguely remember the rim, but I was very little. What I remember more than going to the Grand Canyon and actually seeing the rim and looking down into the canyon, is I was bouncing on the wall between ours and our neighbor’s house prior to us loading up in the van and going and I fell off the wall into our neighbor’s yard into a cactus.
I remember my mom pulling the prongs outta me, and then we went to the Grand Canyon. So that’s my earliest park memory. But we went to the parks a lot and that’s one of the reasons I wanted to work for the Park Service. We have amazing family memories of going camping in the parks and just having amazing family experiences.
But that’s my earliest memory.
What made you love the parks?
Really, the serenity and being out in nature is one aspect, as well as the love of history in whatever National Park service site you go to. You can go to these amazingly beautiful things,have these amazing experiences, seeing wildlife and things like that. But there’s always unique history that connects them to the native peoples, of the connections of people at those locations. Those that first started to preserve and tell the stories of those locations and engage with the beauty of that place, as well as the tragic and. And difficult stories. Or those stories of triumphs that all connect at the National Parks and connecting with those things and having these amazing experiences out in the beautiful areas that help to make, I think the United States, have the unique stories of what make it engaging and just complex in its history and the reality of what this country is.
What is your favorite thing about Pearl Harbor National Monument?
Telling the stories of those who were just beginning their lives and had things cut short in such an unexpected way. And having people to come and understand that the tragedy of that moment is real, and the sadness of it can impact our lives, but it doesn’t have to define our lives or our relationships.
That brings to mind the peace and reconciliation story. One of the most powerful stories that I love to share. It’s a story of a Japanese bombardier and a marine bugler that were on the opposite ends of the story. They came together during one of the commemorations and ended up forming a friendship of bond of love for one another.
That is such a powerful reminder of how we can move past. Those differences and those forces that are pulling us apart or putting us at odds against each other form bonds and relationships that are transformative and beautiful.
What is your favorite thing to do at Pearl Harbor National Monument?
Going and being on the sacred and knowing that is a place we get to honor them. We highlight qthat it’s not just a location where we memorialize those individuals with over 900 of the 1,177 that lost their lives on the Arizona never being able to be removed from the ship. It’s also their burial site. So it’s basically their graveyard. And being able to connect with them and have a quiet moment in that hollowed and reverent location is amazing.
What park have you yet to visit but is on your bucket list and why?
Hawaii Volcanoes. I’m right here and I haven’t been able to go yet. I went for a training over there and was like, “I’ll wait till it stops raining.” It always rains in Hilo so I need to go back and I wanna go.
I worked at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.
And that location has some connections to basically the hotspot that’s created the Hawaiian Islands. Yellowstone is the hotspot that is created, all the geothermal activity that’s there at Yellowstone, but also left a track similar to the Hawaiian Islands across Idaho. So you can see all these volcanic formations.
So going, and actually connecting with and being there when there’s an actual eruption is a goal. And so I definitely wanna go see it.
What are three must-haves you pack for a park visit?
1. Water bottle
2. Camera
3. My family
What is your favorite campfire activity?
Although I don’t like them, I love roast and s’mores with my family. I don’t like the marshmallows, it’s just the chocolate and graham crackers. But just sitting there together, talking and, fond memories of that.
Tent, camper, or cabin?
Tent. As I’m getting older, I need an air mattress, but still a tent.
Hiking with or without trekking poles?
Without trekking poles
And what is your favorite trail snack?
Fruit leather strips.
What is the favorite animal sighting that you’ve had?
Grizzly bears in Yellowstone.
What is your favorite sound in the parks?
At Pearl Harbor, we have nice, quiet, peaceful, calm waters out at the memorial. It’s just powerful. It’s amazing.
What is the greatest gift the parks give to us?
Enduring stories and places for generations to come.