USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River Set to Launch
80th Commemoration National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Activities
WHAT: 80th Commemoration National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day - Dec. 7, 2021
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) will host the 80th Commemoration National Pearl Harbor Remembrance activities to honor the 2,390 American lives lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
 |
An annual Breathing of the Flag Ceremony will begin at 8 am at the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River. The ceremony, conducted since Dec. 7, 2007, when SRPMIC was granted ownership of a flag flown over the USS Arizona, is to remember all those who gave their lives while in service to this country. SRPMIC invites you to observe the live stream of the National Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day Commemoration at Pearl Harbor virtually at USSArizonaSaltRiver.com. The schedule for the day includes the following:
8 am: SRPMIC’s American Legion Bushmasters Post #114 will conduct the Breathing of the Flag ceremony, Taps, a 21-gun salute and a wreath hanging.
10 am to 5 pm: The relic room at the Gardens will be open to the public for visitation.
10:50 am: Live-stream of the 80th Commemoration National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day at Pearl Harbor ceremony at USSArizonaSaltRiver.com
11:10 am (approximately): A restored WW II warplane flyover of the Arizona State Capitol, National Cemetery at Cave Creek and the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River
5:00 pm: Arizona Fire Service Pipe Band will March-In the Navy Talent Acquisition Honor Guard
5:50 pm: (approximately) Garden Illumination is at Military Twilight, up to 30 minutes after sunset. Dawn to dusk: Gardens are open and free to visiting public.
WHERE: USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River
7455 North Pima Rd, Scottsdale (within the Talking Stick Entertainment District). Between Salt River
Fields at Talking Stick and Great Wolf Lodge Arizona, in the heart of the Salt River Indian Community.
The fly-over aircraft will launch from historic Falcon Field in Mesa at 10:45 am and head to the State Capitol in Phoenix. Ground watchers will report the flight’s progress on Facebook (@cafairbasearizona). The fly-over will continue to the National Cemetery in Cave Creek and then the USS Arizona Memorial Garden at Salt River in Salt River.
The attack against the naval base at Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States. On that day over 2,400 servicemen and women were killed, including 1,177 from the USS Arizona and 68 civilians, hundreds of aircraft were damaged or destroyed, as were most of the ships in the harbor. It was an unprecedented surprise attack that precipitated the entry of the United States into WWII.
The USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River is located on tribal land, built by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to honor the brave individuals that sacrifice so much for our freedom, yesterday, today and tomorrow. SRPMIC received a large part of the superstructure of the USS Arizona (BB-39), identified as the original Boat House. The piece received, served as the original memorial at Pearl Harbor for ten years and was a precursor to the memorial structure known and visited today. The relic is the first and largest piece ever given to a tribal community.
The Memorial Gardens span the exact length and width of the USS Arizona with over 1,500 commemorative columns, outlining the actual perimeter of the ship. Each column is representative of a life aboard the ship that day. The gaps within the column outline represent an individual who survived the attack. As the day ends the memorial is transformed when each column illuminates, representing each individual as a light that will continue to go on and stand through the test of time.
Those interested in learning more can also stop by the Discover Salt River Visitor Center located at 9120 East Talking Stick Way, Suite E-10, Scottsdale, AZ 85250; in the Pavilions at Talking Stick shopping center, open Monday-Thursday from 10 am to 3 pm. For more information, please call 888-979-5010 or visit USSArizonaSaltRiver.com
About the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) is home to two distinct Native American tribes; the Akimel O’odham (River People), more commonly known as the Pima and the Xalychidom Piipaash (People Who Live Toward the Water) known to many as the Maricopa.
Easily accessible off the Pima 101 Freeway, the SRPMIC is bordered by Tempe, Fountain Hills and Mesa, shares a Scottsdale address, and is just 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The Community owns and operates several successful enterprises including Salt River Materials Group and Saddleback Communication and hospitality enterprises: Talking Stick Resort, Talking Stick Golf Club and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, all within the Community’s Talking Stick Entertainment District (TSED).
