Bullet Holes at Pearl Harbor Still Exist 

I went a couple years back and they had a veteran sitting in the middle of that hanger at a table. No one seemed to want to talk to him so my bro and I went up to him and asked him some things. Turns out he was in that hanger on the day of the attack so those bullet holes were a sobering reminder of how close to death he got that day. ALWAYS MAKE TIME TO TALK TO WW2 VETS

My family and I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial back in 2018. It was an honor for us to visit. The most emotional part of the memorial is that the USS Arizona is a permanent tomb, veterans who had served on that ship have the option of interring their urns. According to the tour guide when the scuba divers put the urns into the ship, the urns automatically fit into place. Telling the families that the sailors have returned to be with their fellow sailors and have returned to service. Truly remarkable.

My father, Joseph William PAYTON Sr. was a survivor not just of Pearl Harbor, but a previous night survivor of a B-17 practice run that ran out of fuel. He was also in The Hickam Field mess hall when the bombs came through. He then spent the next 3-1/2 years fighting in Japanese Air combat as a bombardier-waist gunner. He produced some legacy. My brother Joseph William Payton Jr. whom I lost last 8/4/22 to COVID was a USAF Staff Master Seargent, his son, my namesake, was a USAF Captain. His son will soon be a USAF 1st. Lt. After ROTC. My Dad would be so proud, I miss him, but I do not miss his PTSD suffering. That decent man was so tormented. RIP DAD.

My grandpa was on Ford island when it got attack and he along with some other Mechanic's got locked into a hanger by the navy and were told you guard these planes with your lives!!! That's some scary stuff! he said bullets were ripping through the hangers that was the most frightened he said he was in the whole war!! He survived the war and lived a very productive life. RIP grandpa!

I recceived news today that a relative who died on 12-7-41 on the USS Oklahoma, his remains have been identified and will be buried in the midwest in his hometown in April or May.

As a retired USAF veteran, while serving, I visited Hickam AFB on three occasions for temporary (TDY) duty. There are several buildings on the base that were standing during the attack. Although they have been renovated there are numerous pock marks from the aircraft's guns on the exterior walls that were never repaired. They serve as a constant reminder of that day!

When I was stationed on a Submarine out of Pearl Harbor back the mid 1980's the Navy let us store our personally owned automobiles in those hangers when we went on deployment. It was nice to have a place to store our cars, but it's great to see the hangers being used to educate the public about the history of Pearl Harbor.

I love the fact that you showed us something a little different then the tour of the ships. That museum was pretty cool. My dad was born and raised on the Island of Kauai. He was 5 years old when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened. He remembered certain aspects of it like having to live in black out conditions for almost 5 years. Also, hearing the military shells going over the island. My grandpa got stationed/posted at one of their food bank type of areas to help protect the food supplies. My Dad came to California and stayed when he was 21 years old.

I've been at that museum and I saw those historic planes. Every time I see a B-17 I often can't help but appreciate the guys who operated them because they flew at high altitudes without pressurization.

The last three years my younger brother served in the Navy, he was stationed in Hawaii. Incredible is all he could say. Thank you for this ❤️

how cool! the Amelia Earhart fact was something I didn't know. Loved this tour.

Thank You for sharing this! This means a lot to me personally. I was raised by my Grandpa who was there on December 7th. I used to get jolted awake from sleep when he would have his nightmares. Having been in combat myself I can truly understand what he was going through those many years ago. He took me up for my first flight when I was 3 years old. I miss that man dearly! Rip Paw Paw.

I was homeported at Pearl for 2 years in the late 70's and never took a moment of it for granted. Felt the history every day.

The clock is ticking...every year less and less WW2 vets are alive to tell their stories. These brave men (and women) saw things happen that will never make it into history books, but will share them with you...all you have to do is ask...respectfully...and thank them for their service.

My grandfather was a tsgt usmc airwing mechanic and he was there on dec 7 1941.

I visited Oahu as a teenager and was privileged to go to the USS Arizona, and it happened to be on Memorial Day, so they were doing all sorts of ceremonies and extra things that they didn't normally do. I didn't know about this museum - have to visit it next time I'm there. It's eerie to think our servicemen walked those floors and platforms performing their duties, and the same glass and metal is still there 80 years later. Very surreal. Thank you for the step back in time. Cheers

As an Australian, I have visited a couple of air museums here, but that memorial to WW2 and beyond has some incredible aircraft.

Oil still bubbles up from the ship remains. It is said" Arizona cries for her dead." It's awesome to see

My father was a crew manager for an oil search company in new Guinea in the early 70s. He and his crew found a long-lost twin-engined American warbird in the jungle. They cleared the site and transported one of the propellors to the nearest village to put in the schoolyard.

I was stationed in Hawaii in the late 80s early 90s. I worked at Wheeler Army Airfield, outside the hangar where I worked there was an asphalt patch that was rumored to be covering the crater from a bomb that did not explode but was later removed. I never checked out the story but it was intriguing.

Thanks a ton. Dad was a pilot in ww2 and after the war we were stationed in Honolulu. As a boy of 7 in 1957, I can still remember the burnt smell of aviation fuel, oil, and wreckage when the wind would shift just so....Dad took us over to Hickam and Pearl and it was still pretty raw.......I caught Dad just standing and staring off at the bay and saw tears as he wept for his fallen. Touching. Thanks again.

A note on the bullet holes, a few theory’s from a tour guide I was with, it was either Japanese bullet holes or on that evening of December 7th, a flight of wildcats came in to land on the island, and trigger happy ground crew opened fire on them since the bullet holes were roughly the size of a 50 caliber. Also, the stearman you saw was actually flown by president bush.

Seeing this is really cool. I hope to go and see Pearl Harbor one day, there’s a lot of history there. Thanks for the video Chris, keep up the great work!

I was there in 2015, Swamp Ghost was still in crates in the parking lot! What's wild is when they went to remove the Swamp Ghost, they found the pilot's thermos with coffee still in it!

I've always wanted to go there. Thanks for taking us there virtually. :)

A lot of people don't know that it was Elvis Presley who donated the bulk of the money to build the Pearl Harbor memorial, it was very important to him.

When I was stationed at Hickam AFB I was in a barracks that had machine gun bullet holes in the outer walls from the attack. I asked about them and was told the buildings and the damage were protected by a law so they cannot be fixed to show some of the damage inflicted. I was on the flightline and there were bomb craters filled with concrete all over the flightline. It was a sobering vison of guys just like me working on the flightline and being attacked.

Thank you Chris I am ex-Navy that hangers been on my bucket list forever but with my failing health I’ll probably never get there so thank you for showing

At 1:11 on the left, is the F-105 Thunderchief "Thud". Some of the bravest men to ever live flew that jet over the skys of Vietnam. They flew into some of the heaviest Air defenses in history. The 105 pilots were required to fly 100 missions before returning home, which was 50 more than pilots in WW2. It was the only American aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. God bless all our veterans and their families and thank you for your service and sacrifice.

In the mid 70s my Dad was dating a woman who’s father was stationed at Scofield Barracks. She (7 years old) and her family were living in base housing during the attack. Their house was strafed by the Japanese planes. The bullets went across the bathroom floor in front of her brother (11 years old) who was sitting on the toilet at the time. Also, on the other side of Ford Island from the USS Arizona, is the remains of the USS Utah. It’s not easy to find if you don’t know where it is , but there is a plaque.

Was just here in July of 2021. Best trip ever. R.I.P. to all that lost lives

I lived on Pearl Habour Air Force base, when i was there in 2017-2018. I was an exchange student from Denmark, and I remember seeing a Lot of bullet holes, and even Small bomb craters around ford island.

Always great to see such history! We can never forget what these brave men and women went through that horrific day and all of world war 2. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude!🇺🇸😎

I have all my fathers’ medals from WWII and I remember as a little boy going to anything that had to do with airplanes from the war as my dad served in what was the Army Air Force, The predecessor to the Air Force and the stories he would tell me, he lost many friends during the war but was able to come back in 1 piece and marry my mom, his cousin and mine as well was killed in the South Pacific, May he Rest In Peace, keep up the great work, I love seeing and learning as much as possible when able especially since I have a very difficult time walking nowadays ! To all who where in the service and are in I want to say “Thank you” !!

Ironic that one admiral of the Pacific Fleet was removed for saying Pearl Harbor was too vulnerable, the next was removed for failing to protect the fleet when it was attacked. James Otto Richardson (18 September 1878 - 2 May 1974) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served from 1902 to 1947. As Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (CinCUS), he protested the redeployment of the Pacific portion of the fleet forward to Pearl Harbor since he believed that a forward defense was neither practical nor useful and that the Pacific Fleet would be the logical first target in the event of war with Japan since it was vulnerable to air and torpedo attacks. He was relieved of command in February 1941. His concerns proved justified during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor only ten months later

My great Uncle was on the USS Phoenix December 7 1941. The Phoenix was 1 of 2 ships to escape The Harbor that day. I am honored to have the dog tags he was wearing that day.and I have a hand made Backgamon board game which the USS Phoenix stencil on the tube that housed the game and the cloth game board. What I have is a museum piece of history.

I was stationed in Hawaii in the 90's at MCB Hawaii over in Kanehoe, another place the Japanese attacked.... Late in my enlistment, when i had about 6-8 months left they made me a Navy Brig escort, where i had to take guys to the brig on Ford Island after any type of court marshal, they were usually just 30 day sentences for guys doing dumb shit, anyway, whenever i dropped them off i could park the vehicle and walk along Battleship row and some of the hangers, this was before civilians were allowed on Ford Island, and before any of the museums were there, in the evenings to walk around there all by yourself and think about what happened there was and is something ill never forget, so quiet, peaceful......eerie almost......

Once again you've given us a memorable history lesson and tour with great video and narration. Thanks Again!

So, I’ve been in Hickam AFB quite a few times and there’s so much more of the Pearl Harbor attack that still exist within the base.

I used to fish at the mouth of Peal Harbor when I was 9 years old. I saw many submarines and The ENTERPRISE enter Perl Harbor. Quite a site to see.

F111 parked outside was retired from service with RAAF and donated to museum have visited Pearl Harbour over the years it’s gotten better and bigger every time stay safe cheers

Great video! So much history. Seeing the bullet holes gave me the chills. When my father was a Marine in the 1950’s he stood guard at the USS Arizona.

Chris, my uncle told me and my brothers alot about this. I can hear birds chirping away up near the ceiling. I am betting a lot of ghosts are in those areas watching watching and listening to every one in there. You did a fantastic job 👏

Chris did you know that bullet holes can still be seen on some parts of the runway from Japanese planes straffing the airstrip

Our good family friend was Don Ross who received the CMH there on Dec. 7. His buddy was my father in law, Orv Bloch, also a CMH recipient, so please honor their valor by reading their citations on any Medal of Honor site.

I remember flying into Oahu many times and seeing the wreckage of Pearl Harbor underwater.

My wife's grandfather who passed away last year was a WW2 vet. He held a grudge against the Japanese for what they did until his very last day. It's sad that high school kids i know say they don't teach about Pearl Harbor in school anymore. Peral Harbor is one of the most major events in American. history, The memory of Pearl needs to be carried on by the younger generation not forgotten.

A guy I used to work with years ago, father was there during the attack. His father also worked in the same building with us. This was back in the late 70s. My father was drafted right out of H.S. into the Army in 1942.

Love this! I've been to Oahu many times and Pearl Harbor but have not visited the museum yet. I like how old and abandoned it all looks. What a great feel of history!

I am a navy vet, I served on the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor I went to Pearl Harbor 3 times that year and one thing I regret is going to see all this history there thank you for showing me what I missed out on! Great video!!

That's the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, of which I am a Charter Member. Pleased that you enjoyed it. I got to visit in 2016, and I see it has improved since then.

I was stationed at Wheeler AFB in the 80's and the damage to military buildings there was left too. The structures were made sound, but the damage remains as a reminder. They were still finding un-exploded ordinance on Oahu.

You can feel the history just watching I couldn't imagine being there . Great job brother, Thanks . God Bless

That SBD at the 4:21 marker is a new addition to the museum. It was recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan restored in Kalamazoo Michigan and shipped to Pearl Harbor

While living and working in Florida for a cable company I had the privilege of fixing a problem for the commander of the United States Marine Corps. His home was a living shrine of everyday marine corp. I watched an older man exit his car and I read his license plate. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor. I was in absolute hero worship awe. I spoke with him while covered in goose bumps.

When I arrived in Pearl Harbor in the early 90s there was a Japanese torpedo hanging from a dredge bucket at Ford Island. I later learned that piece of history was taken out to sea and blown up by EOD. The back half that was left was on temporary display in the USS Arizona museum. I can't get over it, they blew it up 😑

I went to Pearl Harbor and Ford Island after labor day in 2013. Really impressed. Made it a point to read the names on the wall at the USS Arizona memorial in silent respect and at attention. Later, flew over Pearl on helicopter tour. The perspective of the USS Arizona submerged (from the air) is something I highly recommend and will never forget.

Thank you for making this particular episode sir. Just wanted to give you a shout-out from Chicago ❤️

Watching this video suddenly gave me the goosebumps. Especially the where you showed the airstrip that was completely destroyed. As well as the hangar that has bullet holes in the glass windows. But seeing the F-14 tomcat inside the hangar suddenly makes think about the movie The Final Countdown. As well as what the tomcat wasn't decommissioned from service. The P-40 warhawk was definitely an awesome plane. It is the hero of Pearl Harbor since a pair of it took down six A6M zeros after the attacked. Overall I hope that I can get to visit Pearl Harbor someday.

My next trip to Maui, I will now take a day trip to Oahu and visit Ford Island...."What amazing history" You say....I can't wait til April to do this....Side not I can't get enough of Pearl, my Grandpa was on the USS Arizona B 39 for 3 years, leaving 6 weeks before the sneak attack. The times I would go to the memorial with him and the names he knew on the wall, were some of the most heat wrenching moments in my life.....Thanks for you history lessons you provide!....Merry Christmas from Glendale, AZ.

Thank you for sharing absolutely amazing to see the history of that horrible day R.I.P to all those who die that day

I was Stationed at Pearl and years later lived on the Waikiki side of Diamond Head for 7 years. Loved every minute of it! Miss it so much.

I am from Honolulu, and we went to the memorial every year in grade school and I've never seen all dat'. Thank you, that fills in so much more of what I know of our/my history. Thanks again

We pulled in to Pearl Harbor on board the USS Ranger in 1974, when we went bye the Arizona we all saluted and you could have heard a pin drop on our ship. They showed us the holes in the hangers. The saddest thing I ever saw in my 20 years in the navy .

Cool field trip nice share - thank you.

Bullet holes in buildings at Gettysburg also still exist. I never visited Pearl Harbor but it's definitely on my bucket list.

I long to visit Pear Harbour. I never even thought of visiting Ford Island and seeing the museum there. Thank you for sharing the video of your visit.

The attack on the island was very thorough, Japan knew exacty what they were doing, they had Japanese correspondent living on the island taking pictures and gathering intelligence long before the attacks. When this was found out it was the primary reason for the Internment camps that we had sadly. Also, Fantastic and fascinating content as usual! I hope someday I get the chance to have a Hawaiian Christmas xD.

Fascinating, Chris, thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying your Hawaii travels - thank you for sharing them with us! Happy Holidays!

When I was in the army, I was stationed at Schofield Barracks, and in our mess hall was a photo of a Japanese Zero flying right over our barracks, and soldiers running for cover. Most sobering, however, is what was right next to the entrance door of the mess hall: a chunk of concrete was missing, right about at head level, where a round from that Zero's guns hit. When I learned what it was, it was very sobering indeed, imagining a soldier about to step out of the door that day in 1941 and suddenly a piece of the wall next to him shatters.

I was stationed on Oahu from 1976 - 80 with one of those years on Pearl Harbor. Back then there was no causeway (bridge) running out to Ford Island, but I was able to visit the island many times. The Navy actually ran a 'car ferry' service and during hours of low usage I could take my car and drive around on Ford Island. As a history buff I took advantage of that whenever I could. I found the Utah Memorial early on, it wasn't on any tour route and civilian tourists weren't permitted in most areas of Ford Island. Several of the hangers where they filmed Tora Tora Tora were still there along with much of the damage to the buildings and tarmac done by the Japanese bombing and strafing. Many of those buildings are gone now, too dangerous to use or for visitors due to deterioration over time. Several of the buildings at Wheeler Field and Schofield Barracks still show the damage inflicted on that day. My girlfriend (now my wife) and I also visited the USS Arizona Memorial several times and I participated in at least one reenlistment at the Memorial (on a boat alongside, reenlistment and retirement ceremonies were not permitted aboard the Memorial. Even back during that time there was talk about bringing Battleship Missouri to Pearl, but it was thought the Navy wouldn't go along with it, Pearl Harbor was still too busy as a base for the Pacific Fleet to tie up valuable pier space for a mothballed ship or museum ship. Thank you for the look.

I've watched heaps of documentaries on the events of pearl harbour but never seen it like this. 👍

I was stationed at Alpha Docks Pearl Harbor along the fence line with Hickam back in '71 & '72..... I used to walk along the hangers and look at all the damage still visible from just 30 years before........ I was with a dive unit ( HCU-1 ) that got to do some harbor clean up of the old ships sunk in West Lock...lots of interesting scrap we dove on....... back then the hills around Pearl were still sugar cane fields......... now it is all houses.... how the Island has changed.

I was stationed at Wheeler army airfield and our hangers had bullet holes from WW2 and some crater marks on airfield. I love ford island. Thanks for sharing

We just went on the 7th for the 80th anniversary and saw those too… amazing. Glad they preserved it. Great shot of the Swamp Ghost

Was stationed there from 06-08'. Wow, this video brings back a lot of memories!

We lived in Hawaii in the mid 60s. My dad was stationed at Hickam AFB, which is joint with Pearl Harbor. I remember my dad pointing out to me the chunks of concrete missing from some of the concrete buildings on base. They were where bullets had stuck from the Japanese fighters. The buildings had since been painted but they left the missing chunks bare of paint as a reminder of that day. It's crazy to look back now and realize that it had been less that 25 years since the attack when we lived there.

Good video. Pearl Harbor is one of places I've been in my life whether I was deployed, or visiting and exploring on my own where you definitely get a sense that something big has happened there. It's worth the trip to visit, pay respects, and learn exactly what happened December 7, 1941 . Our young men and women in uniform, and civilians that saved the U. S. of America over 8 decades ago need to never be forgotten . December of 1941 to August of 1945 was a very scary time for freedom and democracy, and should never be taken for granted. Best to all. Semper Paratus

Very interesting, thanks for showing us around.

I'm no expert but I think i saw a B 25 Mitchell Bomber which would have been used in the Doolittle raid over Tokyo early in the war. The Dauntless was a dive bomber and it's claim to fame was taking out the Japanese carriers at Midway. The P 40 Warhawk was at the time a frontline fighter and not much of a match for the Zero in a dogfight, but with the right tactics did very well against the Japanese in China with The Flying Tigers. The shark mouth painted on it originated from it's Chinese service. Thanks for the video, I wish I could make a trip there. Well done.

Thanx so much Chris. I love the history also and through your travels, you show me places that I could never go. Thanx so much and Happy New Year!

Very nicely done - Thanks!

My dad was on Hickam Field during the attack, he was 4 years old along with my grandmother and aunt. My grandfather was out at sea on the USS Pensacola.

Wow! Great video! Fascinating stuff! 👌😎👍definitely in the bucket list!

Very cool thanks for posting. Will add this facility to my next visit.

Nice. I’ll have to put that place on my bucket list. Thank you.

I always loved historic videos like this.

Loved it! Visited that museum back in late Feb 2018 and enjoyed everything about it. Thankfully I got a room reservation at the TLF there on Ford Island so I had plenty of time to see everything there. Definitely one of my favorite destinations!

Thank You for sharing this video with us all

Thank you for making this brilliant video!

I’m fortunate enough to have logged 30-40 hours in a T-6 Texan like the one in your video. I grew up hanging around a CAF Squadron when I was a kid. This is a fantastic presentation! Thanks for sharing this.

Awesome tour, thank you.

Dude this is the second video I've watched from your channel and I gotta say, you do it right man. Loved that jaws video you shot in new Jersey

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing.

Thankyou for sharing the history!

I spent 8 1/2 years of my Naval career at Pearl Harbor. Amazing place.

Thank you for this posting.

So many great comments on here about people who have relatives that were there or were stationed there in subsequent years. My dad was stationed at Schofield Barracks as the war was winding down. He was grateful that's as far as he got, and was delighted when Truman sent him home back to his mother's home cooking.

this is the 1st video of Ford Island runway strip that Im happy and sad both at the same time. Happy because it's not condo and sad because all the grass growing everywhere. I visited Ford Island in July 1999 and although seeing the USS Arizona was my No.1 bucket list I was hoping there was a tour of the island itself. The Island is vast in history that needs to be preserved. I had hopes the runway would still be active to private pilots as a tourist attraction and charge a small fee to be put into use to maintain the runway. I like to see more of a extension of the State Park in preserving Ford Island and its building . I was glad to see the Tower repainted. I was told it has LOTS of bullet holes in it.

Spent 3 weeks on Ford Island with a Navy helo squadron. We were participating in RIMPAC 96. The squadron worked out of tents but my work space was in the tower building. Oh yeah, there were bullet holes in all the older buildings. It was cool seeing the memorials from that side.