`Pearl Harbor-- 66 Years Later--New USS Oklahoma Monument

Yesterday, at Pearl Harbor, a few dozen survivors of each battleship took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.

Charles A. Smith, 83, was on the USS Oklahoma standing watch when he saw the Japanese planes. "One plane came in, circles, came right down to us. The guy opened the hatch to his plane and dropped his torpedo, waved at me and took off. The next thing I knew there was a big explosion." The Oklahoma was the first battleship to be hit by a torpedo.

Smith jumped overboard and just missed getting squashed by the capsizing battleship. A total of 429 sailors and Marines lost their lives on the Oklahoma.

Yesterday, a $1.2 million monument was dedicated to the Oklahoma's victims. There are 429 marble standards, each with the name of a fallen hero, surrounded by black granite panels.

Eighteen Oklahoma survivors of the estimated 90 still alive attended the ceremony as did Oklahoma's Governor Brad Henry.

On Board the Pennsylvania-- Everett Hyland was ferrying ammunition to an antiaircraft gun when a bomb hit and threw him down. The battleship was in dry dock, but even then suffered 15 killed and 30 wounded.

OTHER PEARL HARBOR NEWS-- the Visitor Center, which is built on land fill in what, at the time of the attack, was part of the harbor. Over the years, the structure has slowly been sinking into the water. A major building project is currently underway.

From Yahoo News. I was surprised the Chicago Tribune did not have an article about it.

Valiant Men and Women. We are Quickly Losing the Greatest Generation.