Utah students and veterans experience emotional roller coaster during visit to Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — More than 28,000 veterans of the Pacific are buried at Punchbowl Cemetery, a memorial in an old volcanic crater.

A lot of them died on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. It’s a place about sacrifice and memories.

For the past few days, nearly 100 Utah students and two men in their 90s have been on an emotional roller coaster in Hawaii. Thanks to money raised by the students, together they're reliving the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that took place 70 years ago next week.

The marching band from Timpview High School in Provo came to the Punchbowl Cemetery to pay their respects to thousands of veterans who are buried there. Max Burggraaf, now 93, also came from Utah, along with 90-year-old Ken Potts.

"This is a sacred place, and I have deep feelings about this," Burggraaf said while holding back tears.

The band played in the Punchbowl Cemetery and at memorial sites next to Pearl Harbor in ceremonies honoring the men and women killed on Dec. 7, 1941. Potts and Burggraaf were guests of honor.

They were there 70 years ago when Japanese planes swooped in. Potts was aboard the USS Arizona. He went back by boat, with Timpview band members, to the Arizona memorial.

Potts stood in silence for 15 minutes, looking at the names of 1,100 shipmates who died here. Until five years ago, he had never returned, "just because I didn't want to go through it again," he explained.

Burggraaf was on the badly damaged USS Nevada. It was deliberately beached during the attack so it wouldn't sink and block the channel. "It's pretty easy for me to get upset emotionally," he said on the verge of tears, "when I think about these things."

The students have been rehearsing and studying history for 14 months. Along the way, they decided to raise money to take Potts, Burggraaf and their wives along.

"We all realized that this was bigger than ourselves, and this was for the veterans, and probably the only way that we could get close to repaying them for what they've done for us," said band member Nicole Hopkinson.

As the band played "Anchors Away," two old Navy men rose to their feet and stood proudly.

"Being able to literally sit at their feet and learn from them has been a very powerful experience for all of us," said Dave Fullmer, Timpview High's band director.

When the students sat with the veterans in the cemetery, history seemed alive, memories deepened and tears flowed.

"This has been a wonderful experience," Burggraaf told the students. "The music struck me. I felt it deeply."

"It's humbling. I mean, the way we've been treated is unbelievable," Potts said.

When their week is over, the students and survivors will fly home and gather next week at the Utah State Capitol to remember, once again, the sacrifices made 70 years ago on Dec. 7.

E-mail: hollenhorst@desnews.com