Aloha!  We are proud to debut our quarterly Pearl Harbor Headquarters Newsletter. Since 1991 Home of the Brave Tours, has offered an exclusive and unique look into Hawaii’s Military past and present while visiting Pearl Harbor and surrounding historic Military Installations. Check out our new website www.PearlHarborHQ.com for Tour reservations and additional information.

Highlighted in this issue you will find updates on our Home of the Brave Tour and exciting new additions to our private museum. Our American Hero section pays tribute to John Finn, a very humble and fascinating WWII Medal of Honor recipient that exemplifies the “Greatest Generation”. The Pearl Harbor Historic Partners which include the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine, USS Battleship Missouri, and the Pacific Aviation Museum (opening this December) are also featured. Watch for exciting news and updates on each of these Memorials in future newsletters.

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In each quarterly newsletter we salute a WWII Veteran that has touched our lives and made us proud to be an American! Our first American Hero we pay tribute to is a living treasure that personifies the Greatest Generation: John Finn. John Finn is the oldest LIVING Medal of Honor recipient and the LAST living Medal of Honor recipient from the Day of Infamy. He was stationed at Kaneohe Bay as Chief Aviation Ordnance man of VP-14 on December 7, 1941. Kaneohe NAS was attacked five minutes before Pearl Harbor and some might argue that John Finn's actions that day earned him the FIRST Medal of Honor of World War II. Official Citation: For extraordinary heroism distinguished service, and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. During the first attack by Japanese airplanes on the Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, on December 7, 1941, Lt. Finn promptly secured and manned a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on an instruction stand in a completely exposed section of the parking ramp, which was under heavy enemy machine gun strafing fire.  Although painfully wounded many times, he continued to man this gun and to return the enemy's fire vigorously and with telling effect throughout the enemy strafing and bombing attacks and with complete disregard for his own personal safety. It was only by specific orders that he was persuaded to leave his post to seek medical attention. Following first aid treatment, although obviously suffering much pain and moving with great difficulty, he returned to the squadron area and actively supervised the rearming of returning planes. His extraordinary heroism and conduct in this action were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

JOHN FINN - An American Hero   Recently Carol & Fred Tomlinson visited John Finn at his Southern California ranch and enjoyed a fascinating meeting with this humble retired Navy Lieutenant. John has never seen himself as a hero. "I was just a Good ol Navy man doing my job,” he says. The Tomlinson Corporation has created a new display at the Home of the Brave museum to honor John Finn, complete with a 50 cal machine gun to tell the story of this Brave American. John stressed that the real hero’s that day were the young men killed along side of him during the attack and that we should never forget their sacrifices. We hope to see John Finn back in the islands this December as we commemorate the 65th Anniversary of attack on Pearl Harbor and surrounding Military Installations. He is an inspiration to us all and a true American Hero!

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Home of the Brave Tour Update Home of the Brave Tours has teamed up with Super Star Transportation and upgraded our multi-media historical presentations for our larger group programs. “Over the years, we have hosted literally hundreds of veteran and school group tours,” said Glen Tomlinson of Home of the Brave. “In fact, in 2001, Home of the Brave was hired exclusively by the Disney Corporation to handle the 650 International Press Agents visiting Honolulu for the World Premier of the epic movie Pearl Harbor. We took them to the various film sites on the island and gave them a historically accurate account of what actually took place here on December 7, 1941. Home of the Brave continues to receive rave reviews and now offers group programs which can include visits to the various Pearl Harbor Historic Partner sites. Customized programs can be arranged for both day and evening events. Home of the Brave Museum Update A replica 50 cal. Machine Gun display has recently been added to our private museum to tell the fascinating story and pay tribute to John Finn – Medal of Honor recipient, stationed at Kaneohe NAS on December 7, 1941 (see our American Hero section above). Guests can take their photo and “man the gun” while reading about John’s incredible story. Many photo opportunities abound amongst the numerous historical artifacts in the museum, which include a 1945 Army issue Ford Jeep, and a 1942 Harley Davidson. Both vehicles were used in the movie Pearl Harbor.

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Since 1991, Home of the Brave Tours has worked closely with all the historical touring sites of Pearl Harbor. Below you will find a brief description and the "basics" of visiting these fascinating memorials. We can arrange customized tours and programming to any and all of these sites for groups of 25 and over.

 THE USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL 

 The USS Arizona Memorial is Oahu’s most popular Visitor Attraction and is a National Memorial that commemorates the site where World War II began for the United States.

The Memorial is located about 2 miles west of the Honolulu Airport in  Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. It is managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and consists of a shore side visitor center, where the tours begin, and the Memorial located in Pearl Harbor. The Memorial is accessible only by the NPS tour from the visitor center.

The USS Arizona Memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by the Japanese Naval Forces. This loss of life represents over half of the Americans killed on this "Day of Infamy", the worst naval disaster in American History.

The Visitor Center is open 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, seven days a week except New Years Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tours begin about every 15 minutes from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The tour programs are free and new, souvenir tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person must obtain their own ticket. During busy summer and winter holiday periods, it is recommended that you arrive at the Visitor Center before 12 noon. There are no age or size restrictions, but children under 5 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Appropriate dress is required - no swimwear or bare feet.

The tour program consists of a brief introduction by a park ranger, Pearl Harbor survivor, or volunteer. A 23 minute film on the history of the Pearl Harbor attack follows. After viewing the film, visitor’s board a Navy operated launch for the Memorial. The entire program takes 75 minutes. Wait times for the tour may exceed 2 hours.

While waiting for your tour to begin, there is an excellent audio tour narrated by Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine available. The audio tour will guide you through the Visitor Center, museum exhibits, and back lawn exhibits. The audio tour will provide you with interpretive information on the shuttle boats and on the Memorial. Visit the bookstore where a wide range of materials on the Pearl Harbor attack may be purchased.

Strict security measures prohibit purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items that offer concealment. Visitors may bring a camera and cam-recorder. A storage facility, operated by a private vendor, is available for visitors coming to the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park and the Battleship Missouri. The facility can be found in the visitor center parking lot. There is a nominal storage fee. The storage facility is in operation daily 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors may use the same bag storage and parking stall for all three tours.

Security measures are strictly enforced at all three visitor destinations on Pearl Harbor. Federal law enforcement officers and security bike patrols monitor the parking lots. However it is not recommended to secure items of value in your car. Be safe: do not travel with valuables and use the storage locker.

USS BOWFIN SUBMARINE & PARK     

Located adjacent to the Arizona Memorial Visitor’s Center resides the infamous WWII Submarine USS Bowfin (SS-287) Museum & Park. Launched on December 7, 1942, the sub was nicknamed the “Pearl Harbor Avenger” and completed nine war patrols, sinking 44 enemy ships, and earned the Presidential Unit Citation and the Navy Unit Commendation.

The Submarine Museum exhibits an impressive collection of submarine-related artifacts exploring the fascinating history of submarines from the first daring attempt in 1776 to use a submersible in warfare to the feats of today’s nuclear submarines.

Touring the sub includes a fascinating narration on Walkman-style headsets as you
explore the cramped confines of the Bowfin. You get a clear idea of the mental and physical challenges her courageous crew of 80 faced during patrols. For example, in the aft torpedo room, four torpedoes were stored in launching tubes and four more on reloading racks in the same area where some crewmen slept.

Submarines accounted for 55 percent of the enemy merchant vessels sunk in the Pacific during WWII – more than all other forces combined. Subs also destroyed about a third of the enemy’s military ships.

It’s been said that the USS Arizona represents the beginning of the war in the Pacific and the battleship Missouri its end. It can rightfully be said that the USS Bowfin represents the winning of the war!

The USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Guests can drive a vehicle, take an Arizona Memorial Shuttle from Waikiki, City Bus, or a Cab to the Arizona Memorial visitor’s center and walk to the Bowfin Memorial where they purchase tickets.

The USS Missouri is known as the " Mighty Mo" to many who served on her and was the last of the great battleships to be completed by the US Navy. The Missouri received three battle stars for World War II service and five for Korean service.

This famous ship was the first battleship to circumnavigate the world since President Theodore Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet" of 1907-1909 and it was on board the deck of the Missouri that General Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, along with other US and Allied officers, accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II.

Today the Missouri is tied to pier F-5 on "Battleship Row", 300 yards behind the Arizona Memorial and is open as a memorial and museum. Various admission packages are available which include:

General Admission: Basic admission to visit the Missouri. Wander about Mighty Mo's historic teak decks on your own.
Adult: $16.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $8.00 plus tax

Chiefs Guided Tour: Take a 60 minute walking tour with a knowledgeable guide.
Adult $22.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $14.00 plus tax

Digital Audio Tour: Explore in depth with this self-guided audio tour. Over two hours of information is recorded, listen to as little or as much as you like.
Adult: $22.00 plus tax / Child (under 12) $14.00 plus tax

This December 7^th, 2006, the doors of the Ford Island Pacific Aviation Museum will open on the 65th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

The museum will eventually encompass 16 acres on Ford Island, including Hangars 37, 54 and 79 and another Pearl landmark -- the control tower. There will be at least nine World War II aircraft on display on Dec. 7 when Hangar 37 reopens, including the yellow 1942 Navy Stearman biplane that former President George H.W. Bush soloed on Dec. 15, 1942. Bush is the honorary Chairman of the museum.

Other aircraft in the first phase will be the red Aeronca biplane that was airborne on Dec. 7, 1941, with an instructor and civilian student; a Japanese Zero; a Navy Wildcat fighter, and Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell bomber; and P-40 Warhawk fighter.

While Hangar 37 will also include a large-screen theater, museum store, restaurant, flight simulators and childrens interactive flight education center, the other two hangars will be devoted to World War II, the Vietnam War and Korean War. Aircraft first exhibited in Hangar 37 will be relocated to the other hangars as they are completed. Supporters ho pe to finish the remaining three attractions before 2009.

Hanger 54s 86,000-square foot display area will have a replica of a World War II aircraft carrier deck. The exhibit will tell the story of the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the air campaigns through Midway, the Solomons, China and Japan.

The 76,000-square-foot exhibition area in Hangar 79 will focus on Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War.

The final phase will be renovating the control tower, which will include a dining room, reception area and the museums executive offices. 

The museum will be a great addition to the other Pearl Harbor sites: the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum, and the USS Missouri Memorial.

The Pacific Aviation Museum will be open daily from 9:00am – 5:00pm (ticket office will close at 4:00pm). It will be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day.

Admission pricing to be announced.

Guests can drive a vehicle, take an Arizona Memorial Shuttle from Waikiki, City Bus, or a Cab to the Arizona Memorial visitor’s center and walk to the Bowfin Memorial where they purchase tickets for the Pacific Aviation Museum and catch a trolley to the Air Museum and or the Battleship Missouri on Ford Island.

For more information, call (808) 836-7747 or visit the Pacific Aviation Museum website.

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