GAI facilitates preservation efforts associated with the “Day that will live in Infamy” – the Imperial Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor and other locations in Oahu, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.
The Battle of Ewa Plain began on the morning of December 7, 1941 and was part of the larger surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on United States military forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, several miles to the east. Home to the former Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), Ewa, and several plantation villages, this area was subjected to waves of strafing by Japanese aircraft affecting not only the military stationed at MCAS, Ewa, but the local civilian population as well.
Working closely with local preservationists, the GAI team (SEARCH, Donald Johnson) prepared a National Register nomination for the non-profit, Ewa Plains Program, as part of a National Park Service (American Battlefield Protection Program) grant project. Local community involvement was critical to the success of the project, along with the completion of extensive archival research, informant interviews, pedestrian reconnaissance, and a geophysical survey. “To realize what’s there is just breathtaking, really,” said William Chapman, Chairman of the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board in an article in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, posted in advance of the upcoming anniversary on the battle of Pearl Harbor this Monday, December 7. The site contains an original runway, a mooring mast, foundations, and other archaeological remains.
Working closely with local preservationists, the GAI team (SEARCH, Donald Johnson) prepared a National Register nomination for the non-profit, Ewa Plains Program, as part of a National Park Service (American Battlefield Protection Program) grant project.
As a result of this study, a portion of the Ewa Plain Battlefield was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places at the national level of significance under Criteria A and D by the National Park Service and the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board.
Historic battlefields are unique resources requiring specialized expertise (see National Register Bulletin 40). In addition to this prominent WWII site, GAI has completed studies involving French and Indian War and Civil War battlefields.
View a portion of the Ewa Plain Battlefield National Register nomination.
For questions on National Register nominations or archeological research, contact Ben Resnick, MA, MBA, RPA, Senior Director, at 412.476.2000.
