Punchbowl
2177 Puowaina Drive
Honolulu, Hawaii
808-532-3720

If you are looking for a relaxing place to spend a few hours and learn about history of the Pacific Campaigns of World War II, the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is a place you might consider. It is a fabulous place to spend a few hours taking in the historical points and the breathtaking view of Honolulu from Puowaina lookout.

Have you ever wondered why this cemetery was given the name Punchbowl? It’s because of its shape. The cemetery lies in an extinct volcano called PUOWAINA and consists of 116 acres. Roughly translated, "Puowaina" means "Consecrated Hill" or "Hill of Sacrifice." Punchbowl was the site of many secret "alii" (royal) burials. It was also the place where offenders of certain "kapus" (taboos) were sacrificed.

This cemetery serves as one of our nation's two honored resting places in the Pacific. The American Military Cemetery at Manila is the other. Punchbowl is the resting place for the recovered remains of those who gave their lives during World War II. It is also where the unidentified remains of 800 servicemen who died in Korea were placed. In 1986 the cemetery was also dedicated to the service persons who fought in Vietnam. Some of the military veterans buried in Punchbowl include Ernie Pyle (journalist and war correspondent who was the first person to be buried in the cemetery on the day it first opened in 1949), Ellison Onizuka (first astronaut from Hawaii) who perished in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 and Charles L. Veach (the second astronaut from Hawaii).