The Arizona Silent Service Memorial (ASSM,) located in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, just east of the Arizona Capitol Building was dedicated on April 17, 2021. Over 120 people were present for the ceremony, including Jack Holder, one of two remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.
The Keynote Speaker was Vernon J. Parks Jr, Captain, USN, retired. Captain Parks, a career Naval Officer, served as a Submarine Officer and as a Joint Officer in various and diverse assignments, over the course of 30+ years. He recently retired as a Captain from the US Navy and started a second career as a Senior Professional member of The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL).
In the Navy, Vern commanded Submarine Development Squadron TWELVE (DEVRON 12) from May 2012 - June 2014, where he was responsible for leading tactical development and the center of excellence for the US Submarine Force as well as manning, training, and equipping 9 front-line Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class fast attack nuclear-powered submarines.
He also commanded USS SANTA FE (SSN‑763) from January 2007 - January 2010, during which time his crew completed a Depot Modernization Period, conducted a homeport shift and interfleet transfer from Portsmouth, NH to Pearl Harbor, HI, deployed to the western Pacific and was awarded the COMSUBRON SEVEN Battle Efficiency "E" award for calendar year 2009, as well as several other ship and department awards. At‑sea, he served in USS BATON ROUGE (SSN‑689), USS HYMAN G. RICKOVER (SSN‑709), PCU/USS LOUISIANA (SSBN‑743G), and USS HELENA (SSN‑725). See additional details in the Event Program.
See additional photos of the ASSM Construction HERE.
See additional photos of the ASSM Groundbreaking HERE.
See additional photos of the ASSM Paver Addition HERE.