PARADISE VALLEY - A vow that millions of Americans made long ago, "Remember Pearl Harbor!", has not been forgotten in Arizona.



Sixty-four years after the deadly attack, a statewide campaign to raise $3 million for the USS Arizona Memorial kicked off Thursday evening at the Paradise Valley home of Clive Cussler, a bestselling author and expert on shipwrecks.

Organizers made their pitch in front of some of the Valley's big-fish donors, explaining that they hope a national fund-raising effort will collect $34 million to rebuild the deteriorating memorial on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.

"The Arizona memorial is sinking. It's in bad shape and needs to be replaced," said retired Rear Admiral Ron Tucker, co-chairman of Arizona's fund-raising committee for the Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund.

The national group plans to fund construction of a new visitor center and veterans museum on the harbor.

It was there on Dec. 7, 1941, that Japanese bombers attacked U.S. battleships, including the USS Arizona. The ship went down in nine minutes with more than 1,100 sailors entombed in its hull.

Gov. Janet Napolitano and Sen. John McCain,both honorary members of the fund's national board, urged Arizona leaders to lend their support. The governor said that Arizona has long had an intrinsic connection to the Arizona Memorial. "I think it's very important that Arizona meet its commitment" to rebuilding the memorial, she said.

The state is halfway toward its goal after two donations were announced at Thursday's event.

Bill Swanson, chairman of Raytheon Co. in Tucson, pledged $1 million on behalf of his company. Gerrit van Huisstede, CEO of Wells Fargo Bank Arizona and co-chairman of Arizona's fund-raising committee, presented a check for $500,000.

Two of Arizona's 200 Pearl Harbor survivors attended the fund-raiser, including John Finn, 97, the oldest surviving Medal of Honor winner.

Also, Lambert Modder, 84, of Mesa, who was a 19-year-old Navy hospital corpsman at Pearl Harbor.

Today, he visits schools where students and even teachers know little or nothing about Pearl Harbor.


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Was CC's only involvement that he hosted the meeting at his house?

And do they need 3 million or 34 million?

Cool article, though!

To hear that both Teachers and Students do not know anything about Pearl Harbor?!?! yike: That is so sad!!!! Hopefully they can rebuild a new memorial on the same site that is unsinkable!!! My maternal grandfather had served on the Arizona that previous summer before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I hate to hear about it's poor condition! Why do we let these things happen?

Pearl Harbor needs to be remembered just like 9/11. These are attacks on our country that we should never forget. Nobody seems to ever learn from the past. Everything and every mistake seems to be repeated. It's a shame to the memories of those lost and those who lost loved ones that students and teachers alike know nothing about that day. How can we have a day marked on the calender and not know what it is about?!?!?!?! Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with us Americans.

I have a thing with the past that doesn't let me forget such events. I am still learning about some, but when I do I shan't forget them. This was a black day for Americans and it prompted us to go to war. This was the last straw for WWII for us and few seem to understand that. I for one am glad that I am not speaking German right now and I thank all those that fought, and those that died, for that.

Sorry to rant at you guys...

I'm glad that Cussler held the fund raiser. I hope they found the needed amount to rebuild.

I feel the same way Shark!!! I have a love of the past that stays with me everyday and can never forget about those who have given their lives to keep the rest of us free.

Haha! I'm glad I'm not the only nut out there who feels so strongly about it!! :lol: I do think that it is very important though. You know, you would think that I have some historical wrongdoing in my fmily that would have caused this. But I grew up reading historical fiction and a love of and respect for history grew. It's amazing to think that normal everyday things turn into history. But it should all be cherished and remembered. I mean, "Remember the Alamo!", "Remember the Maine !"...but do we?

Count me in on remembering the past. The only way we learn is from the past so we should "NEVER FORGET," It is very sad that schools are letting the younger generation get by and not know about these events that have led to a stronger counrty for them. I wonder how the children of the future will think of Iraq. :yike:

The problem is that there are 50 states and each has their own way of handling education. Even though I am against federal handling of things we may need to consider a national educational system or just forget about public education and let private, religious and home schooling take care of educating our kids. Public Education is failing us. Even though I went through 12 years of it myself and managed to learn some things. I am stumped as to why or how someone can go through that many years and still not learn enough.

I agree. I went through 11 years of public school and my senior year I went to a private school. I wanted to graduate from a private school. I had seven classes that year, as opposed to 6 at my public school, and on average I made a 3.9-4.0. In fact, the private school was over an hour from my house, but I made the trek everyday. Privte schools are much better than public. I hope to see a push towards private and home schools in the near future. I know one of those ways is how I plan on my future kids to be taught. I say get rid of standardized tests, and you would be amazed at the difference. There is such a push for standard testing that that is what everyone pays attention to. You are taught how to pass the test, not taught for future reference.

Public city schools are in terrible shape. When there has to police on site the whole
time school is open says there are problems. Students with weapons don't do much to encourage education. Suburan schools are better but the violence is spreading to these schools too. As parents we need to take back control of our children and instill respect and values to insure better futures for every one.

My fiancés father is a vice-principal at an urban high school and he's already had 10 students leave his office in handcuffs this year. He thinks that's probably some kind of record. yike: cop:

It isn't getting any better either. I think the drug culture of the 60's and 70's burnt out a lot of brain cells in people who now don't care if their children do well or not.

Loren1 I just read the same sentence you just posted in the "Saturday Morning Fever" book by Kevin and Timothy Burke. :lol:

Really? I never read that book. It's just that I lived very close to that culture in the 70's and have seen some of the results in thoses people's children and can't help connect the two events. It's sad that these children were not given a better life and values that would carry them through their lives with pride and dignity.

Today is a day of remembrance for those who were killed in the Japanese military attack on Pearl Harbor. It is because of this attack on the United States that we entered World War 2 and stopped two countries that were led by Evil Men. We lost many in that fight to change those two countries. It took a cold war of hidden fighting as well as proxy wars to see the U.S.S.R. crumble in 1991, but we won in that fight too. But sometimes I wonder at what cost, considering the policies of our current president and his predecessor. Lut us pray that the course our current president has set will be changed by his succesors. So let us bow our heads and remember that despite the tests that we have faced, let us not forget the lessons learned and the sacrifices that our men and women made in our cause.

You said it well Tony.

I haven't visited here for a while and have come into this discussion late but I found all the above comments interesting reading. I live in New Zealand and our war history in particular is becoming more and more important as the years go by. Not only do we comemorate the end of WW1 on 11 Nov but we join with the Australians in comemorating ANZAC(Australian, New Zealand Army Corps) Day on 25 April this being the Anniversary of the landing of our troops on the Gallipoli Penninsula in 1915. That campaign was an utter disaster for our troops but shaped our identities as the nations we have become and not only is it a national half-day here but its significance is taught in our schools and children are encouraged to attend the dawn services held throughout the country. As a member of the NZ Army our military history is very important to me and like you, I would be horrified to find that this subject is not being covered in some form in our schools.

Right on, Maeve and Tony. I was actually writing an entry for this topic on December 15th, at work. We were in middle of a 'southern' ice storm -- I was the only one on my whole floor, at the courthouse. The power went out JUST as I was finishing, so I lost the 'post'. Also got to go home early! Yea!
Anyway, I agree that U.S. kids just are not getting a proper education in our country's rich history. (or any other subject for that matter) I was one of those radical home schooling mom's!

Pearl Harbor Day has a very special significance for me. My father was career navy -- was SUPPOSED to ship out to the 'pearl of the Pacific' but instead, was confined to the base infirmary because he got the mumps! He was SO disappointed in missing out on that duty station. He and my mother were still dating and had planned to marry the following July, 1942. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he knew he would have to go, so he picked up my mother, they walked to the Justice of the Peace, and got married so that she would at least have his military benefits if something DID happen to him. She always fondly recalled how he walked her back to her apartment and said good bye. He was quarantined to base for the next 2 weeks, on alert, but thankfully never shipped over to PH. Mother said she walked to the library and checked out "War & Peace" and read that while they were separated! Me? Well, I didn't come along till 14 years later.

My dad was a machinist mate at the time, and would likely have been in the belly of the ship. He would have ended up on the bottom of the bay...

Just wanted to share this tidbit.

Happy New Year! party:

Davey