Planning Underway For 83rd Pearl Harbor Commemoration
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Granddaughter of Pearl Harbor Survivor and Sponsor of the USS
Arizona (SSN 803) Submarine to Deliver Keynote Speech.
HONOLULU, HI. The granddaughter of USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton will
deliver the keynote address at the 83rd Commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack
on December 7, 2024, at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. The theme for the
Commemoration is “Forging Ahead.”
In a letter to Nikki Stratton, Pearl Harbor National Memorial Superintendent Tom
Leatherman, on behalf of the 83rd Pearl Harbor Commemoration Day Planning
Committee, formally requested that she deliver the keynote address.
“Your late grandfather, USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton, and your late father
Randy Stratton, fought tirelessly to never forget the sacrifices made that Sunday
morning December 7, 1941,” Leatherman wrote. “As such, we feel you are a
perfect choice given your family ties to the Pearl Harbor attack, along with your
role as a sponsor for the future Virginia Class submarine USS Arizona (SSN 803).”
“It is truly a dream come true,” Nikki Stratton said. “I know my grandfather
Donald Stratton, grandmother Velma Stratton and father Randy Stratton are
looking down with pride and joy.”
“We are thrilled that Nikki will deliver the keynote,” said Aileen Utterdyke,
president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks, a non-profit that supports the
National Park Service in the stewardship of Pearl Harbor National Memorial and a
member of the planning committee for the 83rd
. “She’s a direct descendant of a
survivor family combined with the important work she’s doing now with the first
U.S Naval vessel to be named Arizona since the battleship was sunk on the day of
infamy,” Utterdyke said
Last year’s commemoration speech was delivered by Marine fighter pilot Capt.
Daniel Hower, the great nephew of Lou Conter, the final USS Arizona survivor
who died in April at the age of 102. During his 100th birthday, Conter pinned his
pilot wings earned in WWII on Capt. Hower.
Lou Conter’s family members and friends will be attending the 83rd
Commemoration as members of the “Conterage” to honor Conter’s heroism and
efforts to educate the younger generation about the attack that changed the world.
The Stratton family will also have a large presence at the ceremony with family
members and crew members of the submarine, which is under construction in
Groton, Connecticut, with a projected completion date of 2027-2028. The sub’s
commanding officer, Thomas Digan, attended Lou Conter’s funeral in Grass
Valley, California and was part of a flag burial ceremony for the Conter family.
“I have been afforded the unique opportunity to bridge the growing historical gap
of 80+ years bringing the stories of those lives that were impacted on December 7,
1941 back into the memory of today,’ Stratton said. “The future sub will not only
be the most technologically advanced submersible on the planet but will garner a
whole new generation of historians learning about her namesake and the 1,511
sailors who served aboard her.”
A website at pearlharborevents.com elaborates on the theme Forging Ahead.“The
American people rose to the challenge by forging ahead to face determined foes
around the globe, while the adversity of the war itself forged a stronger character
with those who served in the battlefields, and in the home front. They would face
the fire of war and come out stronger as individuals and as a nation.”
Contact: Jim McCoy
jmccoy@pacifichistoricparks.org
808-373-0419
