Service remembers lives lost 62 years ago
About 500 people gathered yesterday on the UA Mall to remember those killed aboard the USS Arizona, docked at Pearl Harbor, 62 years ago.
The ceremony included music from the U.S. Navy Band, reading of poetry written by Pearl Harbor survivors, and the ringing of the USS Arizona bell in memory of the eight Arizonans still entombed in the wreckage of the sunken ship.
Except for the annual ceremony at Pearl Harbor, the UA's ceremony is the largest such memorial service in the country.
The 50th annual event, organized by the UA, the Fleet Reserve Association, the Navy League of Tucson and the USS Arizona Reunion Association, also hosted the seven surviving members of the battleship.
UA President Peter Likins was present during the ceremony, and he addressed the crowd.
"We will still respect the role of the military in defending our nation, advancing the cause of freedom throughout the land. We will still look back with the feelings of patriotism on the tragedy that was experienced," Likins said. "We will still understand how critical it is that we come together in memorial service to look back upon the past, even beyond a century, to celebrate the achievements of those who have sustained our nation."
USS Arizona survivor and member of the USS Arizona Reunion Association Clinton H. Westbrook said that understanding and remembering the significance of the events, which took place 62 years ago, are crucial to making informed decisions for the future.
"This is something that is really necessary, because if we don't keep doing things like this, we're never going to keep the remembrance alive," Westbrook said. "Hopefully, when people think about this, they also try to learn from the errors that were done then."
Keynote speaker Admiral Vern Clark, chief of Naval Operations for the U.S. Navy, said that those who serve in the military today are grateful for the example of courage and determination set by the crew of the Arizona.
"To the survivors of Arizona and to every member of the greatest generation, I want you to know that the men and women wearing the cloth of the nation today and serving, are motivated by your examples of service and your living examples of heroism," Clark said.
Many military members in attendance were also UA students who said that being in the presence of the Arizona survivors was inspiring.
"You see people that are older and they've gone and they've done it. And they're still here, and they're still dedicated, and I'm just starting out," said Justin Madden, a wildlife sophomore and a member of the Marine Corps.
Marine Ryan Larsen, an aerospace engineering freshman, said that the courage of the crew of the USS Arizona was a poignant reminder of the many lives lost in battle.
"It makes me real proud to be here," Larsen said. "Carrying on a legacy of protecting my country."
Of the nearly 3,000 who were killed by Japanese attacks at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, 1,102 Navy and Marines perished aboard the USS Arizona.
900 bodies remain entombed on the sunken ship, still resting in the Hawaiian harbor.