On December 7, 1941 many of the 1,177 crewmen of the USS Arizona
perished when Japanese Naval Forces launched an attack at Pearl Harbor.
At the location of the sunken ship, a 184-foot-long Memorial had been
built that spans from the midsection of the battleship. The USS
Arizona memorial is part of World War II valor of the Pacific National
Monument.
Visitors at the memorial can embark on a tour which
includes a movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and a boat ride to the
memorial. The memorial itself is made up of three sections: an entry
room, an assembly room, and an area reserved for ceremonies and general
observation. Also included is a shrine room with marble walls on which engraved are the names of those killed during the Pearl Harbor attack.
The
memorial had been built in honor of the victims at Pearl Harbor. The
first suggestions were expressed in 1943 but not until 1949 had steps
being taken for its realization when the territory of Hawaii established a
Pacific War Memorial Commission. Construction of the memorial was
completed in 1961, the result mostly of public funding and private
donations. In 1962, the memorial was dedicated.
The design of the
memorial by architect, Alfred Preis, is intended to indicate the
initial defeat and then the ultimate victory. The structure sags in the
middle, but stands strong and vigorous at the extremities. Visitors are
overwhelmed with a sense of serenity which engages a person's personal
reflection and innermost feelings.
The USS Arizona memorial had
its initial recognition in 1950 on the ninth anniversary of the attack
when Admiral Arthur Radford, Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC) had a
flagpole erected over the sunken ship. At the base of the flagpole was
placed a commemorative plaque. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose
leadership had been crucial for the allies victory during World War II,
acknowledges the creation of the memorial in 1958.
The USS Arizona
is no longer in commission, contrary to popular belief. The United
State flag flies on the mainmast of the sunken ship as a tribute to
those who lost their lives during the attack at Pearl Harbor.