Punchbowl Crater: A Trip Back Thru the Wars

Wall of MIA soldiers from the Vietnam War

Just around the corner from my house stands a volcanic crater known as Punchbowl Crater. Created by a rejuvenation eruption series 100,000 years or so, Punchbowl is now a National Memorial Cemetery with the remains of over 53,000 veterans from WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

WWII Battles

Diamond Head Crater

  It is a surreal experience coming from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and dropping into the serene crater of Punchbowl. The first thing you see as you enter the gates is a long drive heading way up to a huge white memorial. An information booth is set off just to your right as you enter in case you want to find anyone in particular who may be buried here. Then you pass rows upon rows of graves on the way to the memorial.

My first time here I sat in front of the tile artwork learning a ton about the different wars. Each major battle, offensive, defensive, and front lines are shown on the tile maps. I wanted to get a picture of mom in front of the Vietnam wall art but it was closed off due to the brick laying construction. But we did walk all over, including headed up to the highest point of the crater for an overlook of Honolulu from the airport all the way to Diamond Head crater.