National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific

Today it's the site of a 114-acre National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific where the remains of over 25,000 US soldiers are interred, more than half of whom were killed in the Pacific during WWII. The remains of Ernie Pyle, the distinguished war correspondent who covered both world wars and was hit by machine gun fire on Ie Shima during the final days of WWII, lie in section D, grave 109.

Five stones to the left, at grave D-1, is the marker for astronaut Ellison Onizuka, the Big Island native who perished in the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle disaster. Their resting places are marked with the same style of flat granite stone that marks each of the cemetery's graves. A huge marble court memorial at the rear of the cemetery is inscribed with the names of the 26,289 Americans missing in action from WWII and the Korean War. An adjacent court displays the names of another 2489 soldiers missing from the Vietnam War. For a good view of the city, walk to the lookout, 10 minutes' south of the memorial. If you're driving to Punchbowl, take the H1 to the Pali Hwy. There's a marked exit as you start up the Pali Hwy; watch closely, because it comes up quickly! From there, follow signs through a series of narrow streets up to the cemetery. Alternatively take bus 2 from Waikiki to downtown Honolulu and get off at Beretania and Alapai Sts, where you transfer to bus 15. Ask the driver where to get off; from there it's about a 15-minute walk to Punchbowl.