Congressman Cole to Attend Ceremony at Pearl Harbor for USS Oklahoma

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole will be attending a ceremony on December 6, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to dedicate a permanent display for the USS Oklahoma. Congressman Cole worked with the National Park Service to ensure the establishment of a permanent display at the visitor's center. Congressman Cole noted that if a vote on The 9/11 Commission Implementation Act (H.R. 10) is scheduled on that day he would forgo the ceremony to participate in that important vote.

"This is the first step in a long overdue process to establish a memorial for the USS Oklahoma and the many crewmembers who worked aboard. I will continue to work with the National Park Service to create a memorial for the Oklahoma and the 400 crew members that lost their lives in the largest foreign military attack on U.S. soil," Congressman Tom Cole said.

Congressman Cole is working to make sure a memorial is built at Ford Island for the USS Oklahoma.

"The men aboard this ship served our country proudly. We should do what we can to honor their service and make sure their sacrifices will not be forgotten," Congressman Tom Cole said.

The USS Oklahoma was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. The battleship was hit by a great number of Japanese Type 91 aerial torpedoes. After it was hit, the port side was torn open and the Oklahoma rolled over and sank to the harbor bottom. The Oklahoma lost over 400 crewmembers although many of the men trapped in her upturned hull were cut free through the intense efforts of Sailors and civilian Navy Yard employees.

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