DVIDS – News – Navy Region Historian Reflects on 20 Years of Federal Service, Uses History to Inspire Service Members and Civilians

Sometimes people view history only as an overload of humdrum facts and dates that are quickly forgotten after passing a required course or visiting a historic site.

But for Jim Neuman, the historian for Navy Region Hawaii, history is a teacher and inspiration for young service members, a way to honor veterans, and a passion that forged a career.

Neuman’s role as a scholar of the past is the latest in his 20 years of federal service for the U.S. Navy, which includes four years as an active-duty Ocean Systems Technician Analyst, a rating that evolved into the Sonar Technician rating, and approximately 16 years as a Navy Reservist and as a Navy civilian. Neuman was recently recognized with a Length of Service Award for his two decades of service.

In his current position, Neuman shares and preserves the history of Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam, which often involves recounting the history of the USS Arizona (BB-39) and the memorial that bears her name.

The USS Arizona Memorial, which floats above the sunken battleship, is dedicated to the 2,403 service members and civilians who died during the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor and pays tribute to the 1,177 Arizona crewman who died aboard the vessel.

The architect who designed the monument, Alfred Preis, ensured it honored the past by commemorating the generation of Americans who faced the greatest loss of life during World War II. Most of that cohort, who are referred to as the Greatest Generation, were born between 1901 and 1927. They are remembered through the fallen Arizona crewmen whose names are engraved on the marble wall of the memorial’s shrine room. The shrine room is flanked by two walls, each bearing a Tree of Life relief that allows light to pour into the space. The Tree of Life is a symbol from the Book of Revelation that emphasizes renewal and lasting peace.

“A big part of what I’m doing, what I hope I’m doing, is telling that story and saying, yes, we want to honor the Greatest Generation,” explained Neuman. “But if we walk away from here not having learned anything from that then we’re not really fulfilling the vision of that Tree of Life, that lasting peace. We have to learn from it and be inspired by that and understand that legacy so that we can carry it into the future.”

Neuman, who has been Navy Region’s historian since 2009, said he feels honored to be in his role and is still “blown away” by the opportunity to share historical knowledge – and its lessons – with others.

“Very simply, history is how we learn from the past. History is irrelevant if you don’t learn something from it,” he said.

Teaching history seems to come naturally to Neuman, who took the job as Navy historian after working part-time as a tour guide for the Battleship Missouri Memorial, which he described as an impressive place to work.

“I loved being a tour guide on the Missouri. I loved coming to work in the morning and standing on the deck and looking back at turrets 1 and 2 and saying my office has 16-inch guns. That was pretty cool,” explained Neuman.

Neuman also got a job as an archivist for the Battleship Missouri Memorial, a role that would have a long-lasting impact.

As an archivist, Neuman indexed and stored historical photos and objects. He also recorded and preserved hundreds of oral histories as part of a veteran history project, which saved the histories in an online database for the National Archives based in College Park, Maryland.

“That was probably the most impactful thing I did,” explained Neuman. “Those interviews I did with veterans will always be there.”

Neuman worked these jobs while raising two daughters and son with his wife and earning his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Hawaii-West Oahu. He received his degree in 2005.

In 2008, Neuman joined the Navy Reserves and retired in 2022 as an Intelligence Specialist. During his years of service, he felt a renewed sense of patriotism and duty, especially after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

Neuman was born in East Lansing, Michigan, and attended high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He completed his last two years of high school in Atlanta, Georgia, where his mother and brother still live and is the place he calls home when visiting the continent.

After high school, Neuman joined the Navy in May 1988 as an active-duty Ocean Systems Technician Analyst because he was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. It turned out to be a decision that changed his life for the better, Neuman explained.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and it got to the point where I needed to leave home somehow and I decided to go ahead and join the Navy, but it was life changing in so many ways,” he recalled.

Neuman lived in Barracks 55 on Ford Island, a location that became historic as a place where casualties were housed after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He eventually met his wife in Hawaii, the state that has become his home for the past 32 years. Neuman also got involved in Calvary Chapel Honolulu, a Christian church where he served as a worship leader, a musician who leads songs during the church service. He also plays the bass, acoustic guitar, piano, and drums as needed.

While he was serving on Calvary Chapel’s worship team, he also managed a Christian radio station, KHLT Radio station, which hosts Christian music and programs like bible studies. His duties included editing music without the help of modern audio production software.

“This was at a time when we didn’t have the type of audio software that we have today,” Neuman explained. “This was tape. You’d record on a tape and splice it.”

Neuman also recorded voiceovers for commercials and for promotions for upcoming church events.

Neuman’s previous work experiences make him well-suited to teach visitors about the history associated with Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Every time he leads a tour to a site on base or to the Arizona Memorial, Neuman said his goal is to give visitors a fresh perspective:

“When a person leaves the Arizona Memorial going, wow, now I know why I serve. I have a better understanding of why I serve. Then I’ve done my job. That to me, that’s priceless,” said Neuman. “That makes it worth it because I get to do that. I get to give a service member in particular a better appreciation for why they serve. That’s probably the most satisfying thing that I do. It’s not just service members, it can be civilians as well. I can’t count on my fingers how many times I’ve had somebody that lives in Hawaii come up to me after visiting the memorial and say, ‘You know, I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never been up to the Arizona Memorial and I’m so glad I came today.’”