For Immediate
Release: April 29, 2004
Audio
Clip
Senator Jim Reynolds
Sen. Reynolds Urges Oklahomans to Petition Inhofe
State Sen. Jim
Reynolds is urging Oklahomans to mail or email petitions
to U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe to help secure an appropriate location
for a U.S.S. Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Sen. Inhofe,
who supports the project, said the more public support he
receives, the better the chance he’ll have of convincing
fellow members to get behind the project.
Several of the remaining survivors of the U.S.S. Oklahoma
recently traveled to Oklahoma for a reunion and were honored
in the State Senate. The survivors said the U.S. Navy and
the Parks Department have only offered them a small location
in a restricted area so remote they complained even native
Hawaiians couldn’t find it.
“The U.S.S. Oklahoma is one of three large battleships
that never sailed again after the December 7, 1941 attack.
With 429 men killed, it sustained the second largest loss
of life. Yet it is the only one of those three ships not
to have a permanent memorial at Pearl Harbor,” Reynolds
said.
“Sen. Inhofe knows how important the memorial is but
he needs our support. The more public we make our message,
the more strength he’ll have when convincing other
members that the citizens support this memorial. The bottom
line is these veterans need our help to get this done. All
we need is for Oklahomans to take a few short minutes to
send a letter or email to Sen. Inhofe.”
Sen. Reynolds said people could send letters requesting
Inhofe’s help with the U.S.S. Oklahoma to 1924 S.
Utica, Suite 530, Tulsa, OK, 74104, or by email at karla_niemann@inhofe.senate.gov
(there is an underscore between karla and niemann.)
“When these veterans were here earlier this month,
they asked for our help. I’m urging Oklahomans across
the state to come to the aid of these American heroes. There’s
no way we can repay them for their service to our country,
but this will mean the world to them,” said Reynolds.
Sen. Reynolds said although the survivors tend to hold their
reunions in other states, they felt so welcomed in Oklahoma
this year that they voted to hold next year’s reunion
here as well. He said the veterans felt a strong bond with
the state for which their ship was named.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if their return next
year to Oklahoma was not only a reunion, but a celebration
of finally getting a worthy location for the U.S.S. Oklahoma
Memorial? I believe if enough citizens take the time to
write Sen. Inhofe, we can make that a reality for them.”
For more information, contact Sen. Jim Reynolds at 405-521-5522,
or by email at Reynolds@lsb.state.ok.us.
For
more information contact:
Senate
Communications Office - (405) 521-5774
