WASHINGTON -Congressman Tom Cole sent the following letter to be read today at the groundbreaking for the U.S.S. Oklahoma Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Because of scheduled votes in the House, Congressman Cole was unable to attend the ceremony.

Congressman Cole inserted language into the Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress last year, requiring the Secretary of the Navy to identify a sight for the U.S.S. Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Funds are being raised privately to build the physical memorial.

Dear Survivors of the U.S.S. Oklahoma,

I am writing today to express my joy that we are finally able to break ground for the memorial to the fallen from the U.S.S. Oklahoma. This memorial is a long overdue debt owed to those who have given their life in the defense of this country aboard the U.S.S. Oklahoma. My only hope is that this groundbreaking and the eventual dedication of the memorial gives some solace to those family members and survivors of that great battleship.

On December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked under the light of dawn while many were still asleep in bed. Over two thousand of our brethren died that day, consumed in a fusillade of fury released by the Empire of Japan. That day, December 7th, was seared into the memory of Americans, a day that would never be forgotten.

But, it goes without saying that while December 7th would never be forgotten, the sacrifices of the sailors on the U.S.S. Oklahoma almost were. Were it not for the dedication to the memory of their fallen comrades by the survivors, I sincerely doubt that we would today be memorializing them. In particular, I wish to draw attention to Mr. Paul Goodyear, a tireless persistent advocate on behalf of his comrades' memory. Without his involvement and activism, this would not have occurred.

I was happy to be in a position to help by adding the authorizing language to the Defense Authorization bill last year. I stand by ready to assist in any way that I can be of service in the future. With kind regards,

Congressman Tom Cole

The U.S.S. Oklahoma was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on 7 December 1941. The battleship was hit by seven 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 429 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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