By John Greiner
Capitol Bureau
A final drive begins today to raise money for a memorial to the 429 officers and men who were killed when the USS Oklahoma was attacked by Japanese aircraft at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
The USS Oklahoma Memorial Committee is trying to complete a $750,000 fund-raising campaign by the end of the year to build and maintain the memorial on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
The memorial will be close to the site where the USS Oklahoma was anchored when it was capsized in the Japanese surprise attack that propelled America into World War II.
First lady Kim Henry is co-chairman of the campaign.
"With the support of all Oklahomans, we can finally pay tribute to the men who served so bravely aboard our namesake ship with this lasting memorial," Henry said in a statement. "With the remaining survivors all in their mid-80s, we cannot wait any longer to recognize their service to our country and to honor their fellow shipmates who gave their lives for our freedom."
Retired Rear Adm. Greg Slavonic, a member of the memorial committee, said about $250,000 has been raised.
Mike McAuliffe, also a committee member, said the campaign is trying to get pledges by the end of the year because construction will start Dec. 7, the 65th anniversary of the attack.
The memorial will be dedicated Dec. 7, 2007, as an official Oklahoma Centennial event.
"The USS Oklahoma sustained the second-highest loss of life in the attack on Pearl Harbor, yet it remains as the only battleship out of nine attacked with no monument until now," McAuliffe said.
