USS Arizona Memorial

COMMENTARY

• Ken tells the story of how they secured the gun barrels from the USS Arizona & USS Missouri
• Gun barrels symbolize the “bookends” of WWII—Pearl Harbor’s start and Japan’s surrender
• Detailed facts
  • 9 blue stanchions representing the nine minutes the USS Arizona sank
  • Fallen Arizonans from WWII are honored with nameplates on the stanchions
  • The barrels are 411 inches apart. Each inch honoring 1,000 American lives lost in WWII

Significance Of Veteran Memorials

COMMENTARY

• Memorial Day is honored through dedicated veteran memorials
• Strong respect for the submarine service regarded as one of the most courageous military branches
• Physical artifacts serve as powerful reminders of the sacrifice of war
• Well maintained American cemeteries overseas like Normandy symbolize the nation’s reverence for fallen soldiers

QUOTE

• If ever proof were needed that we fought for a cause and not for conquest,

  It could be found in these cemeteries.

  Here was our only conquest.

  All that we asked was enough soil in which to bury our gallant dead 

  (General Mark Clark)

  

A Meticulous Memorial

CALLER

• Rick honors his father Walter K. Bass, World War II naval aviator survived 3 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean

COMMENTARY

• Ken explains the meticulous planning behind Wesley Bolin Plaza shows thoughtfulness behind memorial design
• Spatial mapping of ship dimensions creates an immersive educational experience
• Markings that are not on the plaza map to look for
  • BB-39 granite marker between the Navajo Code Talkers memorial & Father Kino Statue, Represents the stern of the USS Arizona
  • BB-63 granite marker near the base of the Frank Luke memorial. Represents the stern of the USS Missouri

RESOURCE

• Map Of Wesley Bolen Plaza