Jacqueline Ashwell embraces new technology: She describes herself and her husband as “avowed geeks” who run programming and interactive fiction competitions for fun.
But her work lies in the preservation and understanding of history going back decades, even centuries, and that comes home with her, too.
One of the couple’s three cats, rescued at the Pearl Harbor visitor center, is named Infamy, echoing President Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, “a date which will live in infamy.”
Now superintendent of what’s called the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Ashwell, 43, works to convey an appreciation for history to others. Her recent audience has included Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and, just last week, President Donald Trump.
Ashwell was born in Peoria, Ill., but spent much of her childhood in Tennessee. Her National Parks Service career started as a volunteer at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and ranged up to NPS sites in Alaska and Seattle. She came to Pearl Harbor in 2015.
She has served as a government liaison to the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, but there was more to learn here.
Ashwell took Department of Interior training on Native Hawaiian culture, especially to learn “what our obligations are should our archaeologists inadvertently discover iwi (Hawaiian remains).”
One of the newest additions to the monument is the Honouliuli Internment Camp, where citizens were confined during the war; archaeological surveys and other work is ongoing to ready a new park for visitors.
Ashwell’s own master’s degree, earned at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, was in historical archaeology.
“While the stories of Honouliuli Internment Camp definitely have a nexus to what occurred at Pearl Harbor,” she said, “we do see Honouliuli as its own national park site with its own unique identity and history.”
Question: How did your experiences with presidential visits compare? Any reactions or stories to share from President Trump’s visit?
Answer: We have been honored to host both President Obama and President Trump to the USS Arizona Memorial in the past year.
The nature of their visits was somewhat different, as President Obama was here alongside (Japan) Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe, and everything was on an incredibly tight schedule (for the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack); there was a big crowd waiting to hear the remarks of these two leaders after their visit to the memorial. So while we did share the history of the USS Arizona, our time was rather limited.
By contrast, because President Trump and the first lady visited us in the evening after their other work had been accomplished, the schedule was much more relaxed. We had a lot of time to discuss the sanctity of this place, to reflect on its history, and to explore parallels of that history to current day.
The president and first lady were very genuine, interested and engaged, and it was a privilege to spend the evening with them touring Pearl Harbor at sunset.
Q: In 2008 the memorial complex was established as the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. Did that change the presentation to visitors?
A: I would say that being a part of the larger World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument has connected us with partners in other areas of the Pacific in a more meaningful way, but it hasn’t particularly changed the story we present to our visitors.
What occurred here on Oahu on Dec. 7, 1941, is best understood in the larger geopolitical context of the time, and the ripple effects of that tragic event which continue to affect us, even 76 short years later. That has and continues to be the story we tell.
Q: A few years back there was an uproar over arrangements made with tour companies for memorial tickets. How has that been resolved in your operations?
A: The National Park Service learned a lot of good lessons during that period. We put a number of important changes in place as a result to rebuild trust and security in the system, and we continue to improve every chance we get.
For example, we recently implemented new changes for commercial operators that have really helped us to minimize the number of unused reservations so that more people can visit the USS Arizona Memorial. It’s important, particularly for our local residents, to know that much of the year we don’t run at full capacity.
If you haven’t been here in years, come visit. The best times of the year to come are when schools are in session and fewer people are traveling. Things will start to pick up again around Thanksgiving and it will be really busy until the New Year, but then things will quiet down again until spring break.
Q: What is new at the memorial/monument that the public should know?
A: I speak to a lot of folks on Oahu who haven’t been to our site in years. Adults sometimes tell me that they haven’t been to our visitor center since they were in grade school.
We opened a new facility with two new museums in 2010. Those museums are open every day, they’re completely free, and there’s no need to wait in any line to see them. Things are particularly quiet after the last boat goes to the (Arizona) Memorial at 3:30 p.m., so that’s a great time to stop by, learn more of Oahu’s history, walk the grounds, and absorb this incredible place.
Q:Is there an ongoing impact of the memorial on relations with Japan? Do you see the memorial as a reconciliation touchstone?
A: I see all the memorials at Pearl Harbor as a reconciliation touchstone. The acknowledgement of peace and reconciliation between the United States and Japan really started to build around the 50th anniversary of the attack on Oahu and continues to grow every year. Each December we hold a number of ceremonies that speak to this.
We partner quite closely with the U.S. Navy and the Japanese Consulate here in Honolulu to foster an environment that encourages reconciliation and reminds all who visit of the 71 years of enduring peace we enjoy with Japan.
For me personally, it’s one of the most inspirational parts of working at Pearl Harbor — to realize that peace is possible, even when the situation feels intractable. It gives me hope for a peaceful future for our planet.
Q: Has technology (cell phones, selfies and such) disrupted the solemnity of the memorial? How do you convey the right spirit to visitors?
A: There are some who would argue that technology has absolutely no place on the memorial, but we attempt to create balance by asking that people only use their phones to take photographs. We inform visitors that texting and talking on phones are inappropriate at the memorial, and the vast majority of visitors respect this.
Back at the visitor center, our partners at Pacific Historic Parks have created an app that allows us to share far more information than what we can show in our exhibits, to include artifacts, oral histories and even virtual reality experiences that visitors can take home. Used appropriately, technology can enhance the visitor experience.
Q: It’s been more that 75 years: How do you show younger generations Pearl Harbor’s historical relevance?
A: We’re fortunate to receive funding each year through Pacific Historic Parks and the National Park Foundation to bus school children to Pearl Harbor so that they can experience where history happened and take part in our educational program.
From time to time we do teacher in-service trainings to help local educators better convey this history to the next generation. And we keep the connection alive by making history relevant to today and to Hawaii’s current community by developing new programs.
We are working to expand the story, to include more diverse perspectives, which makes what happened here more relevant to people of all backgrounds on Oahu and throughout the United States today.
And, of course, it’s easier and easier to connect online, even with those who will never be able to visit us at Pearl Harbor. Social media, the ability to stream our ceremonies, or to do live Q&A with our staff — like our dive team, while they’re under water! — helps continue to engage audiences.
