Elvis Presley Helped In Getting The USS Arizona Memorial Built

Above, the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In previous blog posts, I mentioned that Elvis Presley was pivotal in the fundraising for the construction of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

Thanks in big part to a concert he held in Hawaii, money was raised to finish construction of the memorial and it made more people aware of the memorial who then added their contributions for the project.

War History Online posted a detailed article on Presley's contributions to the memorial fund.

It begins with:

In the 1950s, Americans of a certain age were eligible for the draft into the US military. Many famous athletes and actors served, including musicians like Elvis Presley, who was drafted into the US Army and stationed in West Germany. He served honorably and remained a strong supporter of the military after his discharge. One key instance of his support was his involvement with the memorial for the USS Arizona (BB-39), which was struck during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

To read the full article, go here. 

"Elvis and the USS Arizona" Documentary

Last year, the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, PBS presented a documentary, "Elvis and the USS Arizona".

It is a well-made documentary about Elvis Presley's role in making the USS Arizona Memorial a reality.

As today is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, here is the documentary.

"Elvis and the USS Arizona" Review

Above, Elvis Presley performs at the USS Arizona Memorial benefit concert in 1961.

Last night, I saw the documentary, Elvis and the USS Arizona on New Mexico PBS. As this year marks 80 years since the Pearl Harbor attack, we will likely be seeing many commemorative programs such as this.

At first, I thought that the online listing was in error as the PBS station I normally watch (5.1) had a program on national parks following two hours of Antiques Roadshow. But there are several PBS stations in New Mexico and I had the find the right one, which I did (5.4). 

Above, an unused ticket recently auctioned.

Elvis and the USS Arizona gave a history of the battleship along with a look at the weeks prior to the December 7, 1941 attack through the letters of Arizona sailor Bill Woodward to his wife. Several women were also featured, for they witnessed the attack as children and also attended the benefit concert at Bloch Arena of Elvis Presley to raise funds for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial in 1961.

As it turned out, Bloch Arena was the venue for a "battle of the battleship bands" on the evening of December 6, 1941. The band from the Arizona participated and all band members were killed during the attack the next morning.

The hour-long program was interesting as movies and stills of the USS Arizona Memorial construction were shown. Bloch Arena as it is today was also shown. Movie footage of Elvis's arrival at Honolulu Airport was shown, which included Minnie Pearl, who was one of the opening acts of the benefit concert.

Above, the memorial wall inside the USS Arizona Memorial. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, Elvis would pay visits to the memorial whenever he was in Hawaii. 

Elvis and the USS Arizona was well worth a viewing. Check your local PBS listings for future broadcasts.

My grade: A.

Suggested reading: Aloha Elvis by Jerry Hopkins, Bess Press, 2007. The book details Elvis Presley's Hawaii visits from the 1950s to 1970s.