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| A train carrying gun barrels from the USS Arizona and USS Missouri as seen near the Arizona Capitol on Friday. The barrels will be incorporated into a complete World War II memorial to be built in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. |
by Alex Ferri - Apr. 20, 2012 02:43 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A freight train on Friday morning brought Arizona two big pieces of history -- gun barrels from World War II battleships the state will soon add to Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in Phoenix.
Received through negotiations with the federal government, the gun barrels once belonged to the U.S.S. Arizona and the U.S.S. Missouri.
The Arizona sank Dec. 7, 1941, during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Missouri fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was the site of Japan's official surrender on Sept. 2, 1945.
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who hosted a ceremony for the arrival of the gun barrels, said the artifacts "represent bookends of the war," with the Arizona signifying the beginning, and the Missouri standing for the end.
Plans for the memorial include the construction of nine metal "ribs" between the gun barrels in the plaza, which would represent the hull of the ship, Bennett said. The nine structures also would represent the nine minutes it took the Arizona to sink, and each rib would feature a nameplate for the more than 1,900 Arizonans who died in the war.
Joey Strickland, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, said the guns "helped defeat perhaps the greatest evil to threaten the world."
The project's estimated cost is $500,000, and Bennett said half that has been raised already through donations. No tax dollars will go towards the memorial.
The installation of the barrels is planned for Dec. 7, the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
For more information or to donate to the memorial, visit www.gunstosalutethefallen.com.
The Arizona sank Dec. 7, 1941, during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Missouri fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and was the site of Japan's official surrender on Sept. 2, 1945.
Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who hosted a ceremony for the arrival of the gun barrels, said the artifacts "represent bookends of the war," with the Arizona signifying the beginning, and the Missouri standing for the end.
Plans for the memorial include the construction of nine metal "ribs" between the gun barrels in the plaza, which would represent the hull of the ship, Bennett said. The nine structures also would represent the nine minutes it took the Arizona to sink, and each rib would feature a nameplate for the more than 1,900 Arizonans who died in the war.
Joey Strickland, director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, said the guns "helped defeat perhaps the greatest evil to threaten the world."
The project's estimated cost is $500,000, and Bennett said half that has been raised already through donations. No tax dollars will go towards the memorial.
The installation of the barrels is planned for Dec. 7, the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
For more information or to donate to the memorial, visit www.gunstosalutethefallen.com.
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