USS Arizona Memorial Gardens @ Salt River

GUEST

• Maleena Deer/Tourism Manager for Discover Salt River

COMMENTARY

• Spans the exact length/width of the ship
• Lit columns outlne the ship’s perimeter representing those who perished and survived
• Actual USS Arizona boat house relic enclosed in glass
• Located next to Salt River Field

Attack At Pearl Harbor

COMMENTARY

• Rosie’s story of a small ice box he saw on a painting job with a connection to Pearl Harbor
• Diplomatic relations with Japan had been very strained
• USS Ward fired the first shots sinking a Japan submarine near Pearl Harbor
• Radar detected a large number of aircraft but dismissed it as US aircraft
• American isolationism was no longer viable after the attack
• What changed after Pearl Harbor in the western United States
  • Military bases established
  • Government investment in the complete manufacturing process
  • Need for city services
  • The Interstate Highway system

Takeaways

COMMENTARY

• An excellent movie about Pearl Harbor: Tora Tora Tora
• President Eisenhower pushed the Interstate Highway Act to transport military and cargo faster than two lane roads
• Germany’s Autobahn was the blueprint for the interstate highway
• Population explosion in Arizona based on air conditioners and prefab construction