Embrace the 'happy you live here' moments Published Sept. 26, 2008 By PA Staff 15 AW/PA HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii -- A rainbow made a brief appearance at the Freedom Tower just before reveille, Sept. 24. Formally known as the Water Tower when built in 1938, the tower stored 500,000 gallons of water for emergencies. The Freedom Tower was knocked out of action on Dec. 7, 1941 when bombs landing on other parts of the base ruptured the water mains. The sudden outflow of water collapsed the tower's internal steel tank. Its use as a water tower was discontinued. However, its prominence as an anchor point of the Hickam Plan assures that the Water Tower will forever remain a historic landmark and icon of Hickam. It even had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Hollywood movie, "Pearl Harbor." The Tower's location at the head of the wide promenade grounds has made it a natural venue for many events and ceremonies over the years. Every December since 1969, 8,000 lights are strung from the top to the base, transforming the tower into Oahu's largest Christmas tree. On the occasion of Hickam's 50th Anniversary, 15 May 1985, the Water Tower was renamed Freedom Tower - "Dedicated by those who served to the memory of those who died that others might live in freedom."