Al Rodrigues listened politely Sunday as speaker after speaker waxed reverential on the significance of the USS Arizona Memorial in keeping the events of Dec. 7, 1941, alive in the national memory and on the monument’s singular ability to evoke feelings of hope, pride and forgiveness.
The otherwise wisecracking 92-year-old was one of a select few invited to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the unique memorial. In truth, perhaps no one needed less help remembering the events that led to the battleship’s sinking at Pearl Harbor.
Rodrigues was serving at Bishop Point, at the entrance of Pearl Harbor, the morning the Japanese attacked. He recalls sitting down to breakfast when the first alarm sounded at about 7:45 a.m.
He remembers vividly seeing the red suns painted on the wings of the enemy planes. He was issued a .30-caliber rifle and later a .45-caliber pistol to offer whatever resistance he could as the planes made their way over Hickam Army Airfield to the shipyard.
To Rodrigues the memorial, erected directly over the sunken battleship Arizona, exists to ensure that the lessons of that day survive the eventual deaths of Pearl Harbor’s survivors.
"The memorial is here to remind future generations about what happened here and about the generation of people who fought and died here," Rodrigues said. "It’s important that people remember so they can appreciate the valor and sacrifice that this place represents."
During Sunday’s ceremony Paul DePrey, superintendent of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, recalled that local businessman H. Tucker Gratz spearheaded the effort to build the memorial. And the vision of architect Alfred Preis in designing a modernistic monument inspired both national solidarity and individual reflection, he said.
Former Gov. George Ariyoshi spoke of the monument as a lasting symbol of peace and reconciliation. Harking back to his days with the Military Intelligence Service in postwar Japan, Ariyoshi said he was pleased that the memorial has come to represent the shared humanity and values that have enabled the United States and Japan to evolve into staunch allies and economic partners.
Also present was U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who spoke of the memorial as "a splash of brightness on dark waters" that appropriately captured the history and future of the United States’ presence in the Pacific region.
The state’s most popular visitor attraction, the Arizona Memorial accommodates more than 1.5 million visitors each year.
DePrey said the volume of traffic has taken a toll on the memorial, necessitating a comprehensive $1 million refurbishment that is scheduled to begin this year.
The project will include a complete renovation of the large pendant lamp in the shrine room, safety modifications to the access ways to and from the roof and mezzanine levels, and painting and restoration of the overall structure.
DePrey said the largest and most complex task will be replacing the massive marble wall inscribed with the names of the 1,177 sailors and Marines who perished on the battleship.
Work is also scheduled to begin next year on a separate, $1.5 million project to replace the dock.
