Efforts continue for USS Oklahoma memorial

Today, fewer than 100 of them remain.

Of the more than 800 men who survived the Japanese attack on the USS Oklahoma in 1941, only about 100 survive.

And they haven’t forgotten their comrades.

And they don’t want you to forget them, either.

“They had a horrific death,” said Paul Goodyear, an 89-year-old survivor of the attack. “Drowning in dark compartments before they could be rescued. It isn’t right that they had to go that way, and it isn’t right that we’ve had to deal with so much red-tape and federal bureaucracy just to get this far.”

What Goodyear wants is simple: A memorial dedicated to the USS Oklahoma and its crew.

“This memorial isn’t about us” he said. “This is about our 429 shipmates.”

With the help of Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and first lady Kim Henry, funds are being raised to erect a memorial to the ship and its crew.

The Oklahoma Centennial Commission has joined the effort and the group homes to raise about $750,000 more for the memorial and its maintenance.

Plans call for the memorial to be located at Ford Island Pearl Harbor, near the mooring location known as Fox Five — where the Oklahoma was berthed.

A dedication is being planned for Dec. 7 — 66 years after the attack.

“I’m grateful we’re finally on the verge of getting this memorial completed,” Goodyear said, “while some of us are still alive to see it.”

Persons wanting to contribute to the memorial may send donations to:

USS Oklahoma Memorial

PO Box 7734
Edmond, OK 73083
For more information about the memorial, visit www.ussoklahoma.com or call 348.3737.