A Place to Remember: The USS Oklahoma Memorial
A joint service color guard parades during a dedication ceremony for the USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 2007 (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Foehl).
Unlike the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Oklahoma Memorial does not usually appear on most visitor’s “must do list” during their visit to O`ahu. Located on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor, the only glimpse many people get of the Memorial is when they see it out the bus windows as they pass by on their way to the Battleship Missouri Memorial or the Pacific Aviation Museum. However, those that do take the time to visit the Memorial find it a much quieter, yet equally reflective place of remembrance.
The USS Oklahoma (BB-37), nicknamed “The Okie”, was one of several ships that were sunk during the Japanese attack on O`ahu December 7, 1941. Struck by multiple torpedoes, the ship capsized, trapping many sailors and Marines alive. Though some were rescued, ultimately 429 died on board the Oklahoma. For almost 60 years, no memorial stood to commemorate the lives of these 429 men.
Navy Caption: "Battleship Row is a mass of flames and smoke, with USS OKLAHOMA in the foreground, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941." (Photo Courtesy National Archives).
However, in 2007, the USS Oklahoma Memorial was dedicated and in 2008, President George W. Bush made the USS Oklahoma Memorial an official part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The Memorial’s black granite walls suggest the once formidable hull of the Oklahoma while the white marble standards represent its lost sailors and Marines. Each perfectly aligned marble standard symbolizes an individual in pristine white dress uniform, inspired from the naval tradition of ‘manning the rails.’ In full dress whites the ship’s crew stand at attention along the rails or in the rigging of the ship to display respect and honor. The marble standards of the Memorial stand perfectly straight, ‘manning the rails’ of the Oklahoma, forever.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial stands as a "Place to Remember" the 429 sailors and Marines that died serving their country.
