Remembering the Ultimate Sacrifice

March 14–15, 2019

Arrive a day early to experience a special visit to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. At the laboratory, historical research and DNA technology combine in an effort to locate and identify missing service men and women throughout the world. Special projects include identifying those killed in action on Tarawa and during the Korean conflict. After an included lunch, pay respects to those who fell in the Pacific at The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl Crater. The cemetery opened to the public on July 19, 1949, with services for five war dead: an unknown serviceman, two Marines, an Army lieutenant, and one civilian—noted war correspondent Ernie Pyle. Eventually, over 13,000 soldiers and sailors who died during World War II would be laid to rest in the Punchbowl.

Accommodations: Westin Moana Surfrider (B, L)

Arrival

Upon arrival into Honolulu International Airport, transfer to the five-star Westin Moana Surfrider, where you are welcomed by the Museum’s travel team. This evening, enjoy a welcome reception and dinner with your fellow tour guests on the Diamond Lawn of the Moana Surfrider as you watch a lovely island sunset.

Accommodations: Westin Moana Surfrider (R, D)

USS Missouri, Pacific Aviation Museum, and Valor in the Pacific

Begin your exploration of the War in the Pacific where it all ended, on the USS Missouri, site of the formal surrender of the Japanese Empire to the Allied powers. Next, visit the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, an internationally recognized aviation museum on Ford Island that educates about and preserves aviation history while honoring aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in the Pacific region. After an included lunch, spend the afternoon at the very place where a Japanese attack brought the country into the war. At the USS Arizona Memorial, pay tribute to the 1,177 men who were killed when the ship’s forward magazine exploded causing the ship to sink in a matter of minutes. Also visit the USS Bowfin (SS-287), a fleet attack submarine that fought in the Pacific during World War II and helped to make famous the term “Silent Service.” Bowfin was launched on December 7, 1942, exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was nicknamed Pearl Harbor Avenger, so it’s fitting that Pearl Harbor is her permanent home. The evening is free to enjoy Waikiki’s many shops and restaurants.

Accommodations: Westin Moana Surfrider (B, L)

Journey to Saipan

After a relaxing morning at leisure, fly to Saipan, where a ferocious battle waged for over three weeks in June 15 – July 9,1944. Granted to Japan after World War I, the island was home to the Japanese forces that attacked Guam on December 8, 1941. At the same time the Allies secured Rome and were fighting in Normandy in 1944, American troops had advanced within striking distance of Saipan. If captured, Saipan and the neighboring island of Tinian offered airfields from which B-29s could attack the Japanese home islands. Once ashore on Saipan, Americans faced challenges in Saipan’s formidable geography, a significant civilian population, and Japan’s willingness to fight to the last man.

Accommodations: The Kensington Hotel Saipan (B, D)

Explore Saipan

The Battle of Saipan moved from south to north with the invasion beaches located on the southwest coast. After American forces secured the southern third of the island along with the airfield, the Japanese continued their relentless assault. Today, guests will stand on the landing beaches, explore the bomb magazine used to supply the planes attacking Guam on December 8, 1941, and participate in an incredibly moving visit to the cliffs where thousands of Japanese civilians and soldiers committed suicide upon realizing that Saipan was lost. Tour stops also include a scenic drive through Purple Heart Ridge, Suicide Cliffs, American Memorial Park, the remains of Aslito Airfield, Kilili Beach, Last Command Post, and Tank Beach.

Accommodations: The Kensington Hotel Saipan (B, L, D)

Tinian and the atomic bomb

The island of Tinian is just minutes away from Saipan by air. After arriving at Tinian International Airport by privately chartered aircraft, embark on a tour of iconic North Field. The airfield today is a mixture of modern monuments and memorials with buildings and vehicles in varying states of preservation and decay. Explore a massive Japanese fuel storage facility where damaged oil drums still remain today. Stand above the bomb pits from which “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” were loaded onto the B-29s Enola Gay and Bockscar. Walk the surprisingly narrow White Beach where the US Marine Corps landed to secure the island where debris from the battle remains today. Upon departure from Tinian en route to Saipan, your plane will embark on a scenic flyover of Tinian and the places you visited, giving you an aerial perspective of the day’s touring.

Accommodations: The Kensington Hotel Saipan (B, L, D)

Journey to Guam

After a relaxing morning on Saipan with optional leisure excursions to swim at Kilili Beach or visit the museum at American Memorial Park, board a short flight this afternoon to Guam. A US territory since the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Guam was attacked by the Japanese on December 8, 1941—technically the same day as Pearl Harbor, due to its location on the other side of the International Date Line. The Japanese occupied Guam until August 1944, when the island was liberated by the US 3rd Marine Division and 77th Infantry Division. This evening, check into D usit Thani Resort before dinner at leisure.

Accommodations: Dusit Thani Resort (B, L)

Guam

Taking place after the liberation of Saipan, the American invasion of Guam applied some of the lessons learned during the Battle of Saipan, including a 13-day bombardment of the islands. Visit Asan and Agat Landing Beaches, where the US Marine Corps landed and faced stiff Japanese resistance. Continue to explore the terrain of Guam, including Ga’an Point overlooking Apra Harbor, which is home to monuments dedicated to the 1,880 US servicemen who lost their lives during the defense of Guam, to the liberators of Guam who retook the island in 1944, and to the 1,170 native Chamorro soldiers and 14,721 locals that perished during this period. This evening, an engaging panel discussion with museum historians and featured speakers Richard Frank and Jon Parshall will illuminate the significance of our visit tomorrow to the Island of Iwo Jima and the 74th Reunion of Honor Ceremony.

Accommodations: Dusit Thani Resort (B, R)

The 74th Commemoration of Iwo Jima

Early this morning, board a privately chartered flight to Iwo Jima to take part in the 74th anniversary commemorations on the island. The Island of Iwo Jima, now named Iwo To, is open only once per year for this very special Reunion of Honor. On arrival, guests may take the opportunity to hike to the top of Mt. Suribachi, where the iconic flag-raising photo was taken, and attend a joint American and Japanese Water Blessing Ceremony. With the Museum’s veteran guests, explore the volcanic rock beaches, the unique rugged terrain of the island, and reflect on the extreme American loss in this battle: 26,000 casualties in 36 days of combat. Roughly one American for every three who landed on Iwo Jima became a casualty. This day provides a unique opportunity for each guest to honor the men who fought in this historic battle, as well as the Gold Star Families who also gave so much for the capture of this island. Time is provided to absorb as much of the atmosphere and the emotion involved in this iconic American battle before returning to Guam this evening.

Accommodations: Dusit Thani Resort (B, L, D)

Guam

Enjoy the day at leisure in Guam to unwind from the emotionally charged day on Iwo Jima. Take advantage of the amenities at the Dusit Thani Resort, participate in a cultural excursion, or visit the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & Educational Facility. In the evening, a special Farewell Reception and Dinner recaps the highlights of the tour and offers a glimpse of what is to come on the Road to Tokyo and The Battle for Peleliu optional post-tour extension programs.

Accommodations: Dusit Thani Resort (B/R/D)

Depart to the US

Depart the Dusit Thani Resort this morning and transfer to the Guam International Airport for flights home or onward to one of our optional extension programs.

(B)

The Battle for Peleliu

March 25–29, 2019

Join the Museum on a journey of a lifetime to an island populated with so many WWII artifacts that it is a living battlefield museum in its own right. Explore the landing beaches and relics of an island visited by only handfuls of tourists each year, and walk the landscape that continues to embrace the souls of the thousands of American soldiers that perished here. A combination of local battlefield guides, expert WWII Museum historians, and international War in the Pacific expert and featured historian Richard Frank will illuminate the sights and sounds of an island frozen in time.

Part of the independent nation of Palau, Peleliu measures roughly six miles long and two miles wide. The island's infrastructure is built upon roads constructed by the Seabees in the months after the battle ended. Just beyond the roads lies a network of runways, bunkers, and caves that all tell a story. Our tour highlights include stopping at key sights that are immortalized in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, including the heavily defended landing beaches and airfield, as well as the accompanying administration building, Bloody Nose Ridge, the remains of a Japanese Zero, Japanese bunkers and caves, and numerous Marine Corps and US Army landing craft scattered throughout the island.

On the last day on Peleliu, choose between excursions to the mud baths of the Rock Islands, a deep sea fishing experience, or a cultural tour of the island's capital city of Babeldaob, whose capital building is a replica of the American capital.

Accommodations are at the five-star Palau Pacific Resort on the nearby island of Koror, and transportation each day to Peleliu is aboard a comfortable, privately chartered ship sailing through the Rock Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and past a submerged Japanese Zero. Don't miss this unique journey into one of the hardest-won victories in the Pacific.

The Road to Tokyo

March 25–29, 2019

After visiting Pearl Harbor, exploring the liberation of Saipan, and standing over the atomic bomb pits on Tinian, The National WWII Museum’s Road to Tokyo optional post-tour extension takes guests to the cities of Tokyo and Hiroshima—a moving close to an emotional journey.

The symbolism of the War in the Pacific is easily understood by two wristwatches locked in two significant moments in history: Roy “Swede” Boreen’s Bulova that stopped at 8:04 a.m. on December 7, 1941, in Pearl Harbor; and the watch belonging to Akito Kawagoe, a Japanese soldier stationed just over one mile from the blast, that stopped just after 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, seconds after the atomic bomb detonation in Hiroshima.

Along the way, engage in discussion of the Japanese perspectives of the war and their methods of memorialization. A visit to the Yushukan War Memorial in Tokyo is likely to inspire discussion points at an evening lecture with featured historian Jon Parshall. The National Showa Memorial Museum highlights the condition of Japanese civilians during the war years. Once in Hiroshima, travel to the nearby maritime city of Kure and the Yamato Museum with a 1/10 scale model of the largest battleship ever built, and finish the tour at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the nearby Atomic Bomb Dome. Standing at ground zero is a fitting end to a remarkable journey through the War in the Pacific.