Remembering Pearl Harbor: Then and Now

What better way to start this blog rolling than to pay tribute to PEARL HARBOR!

It’s been over 20 years since I’ve shook the hands of a Pearl Harbor veteran. Each year these returning veterans are dwindling in numbers… One of these days no more handshakes…

How can I ever forget their eyes, their hugs, their tears… A brief history:

Women in Navy Water Transportation During the 1980s

By the 1980s, women were serving in an increasing number of non-combat roles throughout the U.S. Navy, including harbor and water transportation operations. At Pearl Harbor, military and civilian personnel operated boats that transported passengers, supplies, and official visitors between installations and islands before bridges connected many of the facilities.

Women assigned to water transportation duties worked as boat operators, dispatchers, trainers, and crew members. These positions required navigation skills, seamanship, radio communications, passenger safety training, and the ability to operate vessels in all weather conditions. While opportunities for women in the military were still more limited than they are today, the 1980s marked a period of expanding responsibilities and greater visibility for women serving in maritime roles.

At Pearl Harbor and Ford Island, water transportation crews played an essential role in daily operations, moving military personnel, civilian workers, and visitors across the harbor. Their work helped keep one of the Navy's most historic installations functioning smoothly while preserving access to important sites such as the USS Arizona Memorial.

This is where I spent much of my enlistment in Pearl Harbor. At the time, many of the boats in the water transportation division were operated by women sailors like myself.

Life at the Pearl Harbor Boathouse

I was being trained to drive President Hoover’s private yacht. A charming wooden boat similar in size to the 50-foot gray boats I had been driving in Ford Island. My earlier job was transporting military personnel from island to island. Back in the 1980’s there were no bridges to connect the islands, so my job consisted of radio dispatching from the boathouse, training personnel, and transporting passengers night and day, rain or shine, storm or gale. Other than dependency on boats to get around, the only other option was to hop the ferry at the end of the island.

I loved driving the President’s yacht and transporting 50 passengers at a time to the memorial. I had been upgraded from the dusty boathouse and blue dungarees, to full military dress whites, shiny black shoes, and black beret. What an honor and privilege. Before long, the Navy upgraded Hoover’s yacht to two shiny white 75-foot twin engine tour boats enabling us to transport 200 passengers at a time.

But, my heart yearned for the boathouse again… I missed getting my hands dirty, waving at the passing submarines, radioing incoming ships, and saluting the officers. I was meant to wear my blues… I loved the rare times when my boat was empty and I was racing across the harbor. Those quiet moments on the bow as my partner manned the helm. I felt like I was on the Titanic, looking over the waves, feeling on top of the world. Every so often, catching sight of a sea turtle, the wind blowing against my face and the scent of nearby palms… how heavenly the islands smelt!

I’d catch a glimpse of the white tour boats as they transported the visitors to the memorial… How I loved Pearl Harbor…

I don’t like changes. With sadness I will gaze over Ford Island. The new bridges, the housing, the landmarks gone… The only thing unchanged is the Arizona. Still embalmed, still intact… A grave reminder of our past.

Today, many of the veterans I once met have passed on, and Pearl Harbor itself has changed with the passing decades. Yet the lessons remain the same. The USS Arizona Memorial still rests above the sunken battleship, drawing visitors from around the world who come to remember the events of December 7, 1941.

I count myself fortunate to have served at Pearl Harbor and to have played a small role in helping visitors experience this historic place. Whenever I smell diesel fuel or hear the sound of a boat engine, I am reminded of those days on the harbor and the veterans whose sacrifices should never be forgotten.