Some national parks and historic sites are much more than beautiful places and reminders of our heritage as Americans. They are hallowed ground, where men and women who were killed defending our nation rest in honored glory.

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii is the site of such a memorial. Facilities there, managed by the National Park Service, both commemorate the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack and serve as the final resting place for hundreds of its victims.

That makes a report of accusations of mismanagement at the memorial especially upsetting.

Internal Park Service reports contain two serious allegations. One is that maintenance at the facility – including a memorial over the sunken USSArizona – has been neglected. Another is that park officials were aware some tour companies sold tickets to the memorial, which are supposed to be handed out in limited quantities free of charge.

Problems with the tickets have been addressed, park Superintendent Paul DePrey told The Associated Press. But some maintenance problems remain to be resolved.

They should be dealt with quickly and effectively. If funding is a problem, members of Congress no doubt will be willing to provide more – if they see a real need.

Every park, natural or historical, in the United States is important. Again, however, some of the final resting places of men and women who gave their lives for their country – and they should be treated as the very special places they are.