How Elvis Presley Revitalized Efforts to Build a Pearl Harbor Memorial

Days before he was discharged from the Army, Elvis Presley was asked how he believed two years of military service would affect the stratospheric trajectory his career was on before he was drafted.

"Actually, I don't know," then-Sgt. Presley said at a news conference on March 1, 1960, in Friedberg, West Germany, where he had been stationed for the previous 1½ years. "I hear the trend has changed, the music's changed. ... I couldn't commit myself in saying that I'm going to be, or that I'm not going to be, [as popular]. I don't know. All I can say is, I'm going to try."

If they were not already, any doubts plaguing Presley about his musical career were erased when he performed live on March 25, 1961, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. The concert raised funds for a USS Arizona memorial to recognize the 1,177 crew members on the battleship who died in the Japanese surprise attack that prompted the United States' entry into World War II.

Elvis' participation in the fundraising effort came about after his manager, Col. Tom Parker, read a newspaper article about the Pacific War Memorial Commission's struggle to procure donations. The commission was only halfway toward its $500,000 goal needed to fund the memorial, and while it had tried other methods to raise publicity -- including an episode of the "This Is Your Life" television show that featured Rear Adm. Samuel Fuqua, the highest-ranking officer to survive the Arizona's sinking and a Medal of Honor recipient -- it was not nearly enough.

Then Elvis got involved.

"This is a little bit like a kid who has heard of Santa Claus and can't believe it," commission chairman H. Tucker Gratz said. "... It's hard to believe this is real."

The frenzy on the day of the concert was palpable as Presley flew that morning from Los Angeles. When he arrived at Honolulu International Airport, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was greeted by throngs of enthusiastic young fans. So many leis were piled around his neck that they brushed the top of the back of his head.

"There is no way to describe the pandemonium," country music star Minnie Pearl, one of the opening acts, said of the scene at the airport. "I never saw as many women in my life. They were screaming. They were yelling. I was just horrified. I thought, 'They're going to kill him,' and they would have if they could have gotten loose, I'm afraid."

Tickets ranged from $3 to $100 (the most expensive seats costing the equivalent of $1,050 today), and Col. Parker stipulated that there would be no freebies so more money could go toward the USS Arizona Memorial. All ticket, concession and souvenir sales would be donated to the fund, and Presley and Col. Parker waived their normal fees and covered the costs of the other entertainers, further reducing expenses.

After being introduced by Rear Adm. Robert L. Campbell, Elvis took the stage at Bloch Arena. Greeted by a shrieking crowd, the capacity turnout of about 4,000 people included some who had survived the attack at Pearl Harbor. For them especially, the concert was an emotional experience, and with his military experience, Elvis -- who, at 26 years old at the time of the concert, was "about the average age of those boys entombed in the Arizona," Col. Parker pointed out -- likely felt a personal connection as well. (More than 900 sailors and Marines went down with the ship.)

Elvis began his 15-song playlist with "Heartbreak Hotel" and followed with other crowd-pleasing hits, such as "All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me Tender." He capped off the memorable evening with a flourish, sliding six feet across the stage on his knees as he belted out "Hound Dog" -- the final song of the night.

"I was glad everybody was yelling and everything," Elvis said in the 2021 documentary, “Elvis and the USS Arizona,” from the World War II Foundation. "It covered up my mistakes because I hadn't had any rehearsals, and I'd been out of practice. [I] hadn't been on stage since 1957. ... I forgot the lyrics to most of the songs. In fact, a lot of times, I said the same lyrics over and over and over."

Reviews of the concert were complimentary, with one referring to Presley as "a musical Messiah," but more importantly, its primary mission had been achieved. It raised more than $60,000 and sparked a resurgence of donations. When then-Rep. Daniel Inouye, who received the Medal of Honor in 2000 for his actions during World War II, helped secure $150,000 in public money in late 1961, the Pacific War Memorial Commission's fundraising goal was at long last achieved.

The USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated officially on May 30, 1962, but Presley did not get a chance to visit it until 1965, one year after his military commitment ended when he was discharged from the Army Reserve. When he did, he placed a wreath at the monument.

No video of the concert exists, and a recording was not released until three years after Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42. Today, Pearl Harbor draws more than 2 million visitors annually, with the USS Arizona Memorial among its more popular attractions -- for which Presley and his legion of fans deserve a fair share of credit.

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