USS Arizona (BB-39)
Launched June 19, 1915
Commissioned October 17, 1916This memorial honors the human sacrifice and courage of every military veteran who defends the freedom of all Americans, regardless of the battlefront. This is a tribute for the veterans who returned - but also for the brave souls who can never come home again.
The city of Glendale has acquired historical artifacts that were salvaged from the USS Arizona and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. The rusted metal pieces are from a portion of the potato locker in the ship's galley. The steel rings were cut from the USS Arizona Memorial flagpole. These artifacts serve as a silent sentinel, paying homage to those brave men and women who gave their lives for the defense of this great nation.
On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the first wave of Japanese military aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor at 7:55 a.m. The battleship USS Arizona sustained multiple bomb hits - one that penetrated several decks to explode in the powder magazine and ammunition areas. The resulting explosion ripped through the forward part of the ship, touching off fierce fires. At about 8:10 a.m., fifteen minutes after the assault began, six battleships, including the USS Arizona, were sunk.
The attack on Pearl Harbor claimed more than 2,400 lives. Twenty-one ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged. The blast that destroyed the USS Arizona sent her to the bottom of the harbor, entombing 1,177 officers and crewmembers, of which 73 were Marines. This was the heaviest loss of life on any one ship in the history of the US Navy.
Although the USS Arizonais no longer in commission, the flags are raised daily at the USS Arizona Memorial. Legislation passed during the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy designated the remains a national shrine.
We are a free nation and must always remember that freedom is not a free commodity. Americans stand prepared to pay any price and bear any burden for the sake of that freedom.
The City of Glendale acknowledges the following for their efforts in securing the historical artifacts from the USS Arizona that were incorporated into this memorial: United States Navy; United States Department of the Interior; National Park Service; Kathleen J. Billings and Donald E. Magee, Superintendent of the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor; and Robert Manzetti, Glendale resident, World War II Navy veteran and Veterans Memorial assistant project manager.
In memory of the crew of the USS Arizona (BB-39)
This is a tribute to all Past, Present and Future Veterans
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