USS Thresher Memorial Approved for Arlington National 30 Jan 2019
Portsmouth
Herald, N.H. | By Hadley Barndollar
KITTERY, Maine --
The deaths of 129 men that essentially catalyzed modern submarine safety will finally be commemorated
at Arlington National Cemetery, following memorial approval by the secretary of
the http://www.military.com/army" rel="nofollow - Kevin Galeaz,
president of the USS Thresher ANC Memorial Foundation, announced the
long-awaited recognition Monday.
The foundation
received nearly $60,000 in donations from USS Thresher families, former crew,
submarine veterans and current and former Naval Sea Systems and Portsmouth
Naval Shipyard employees. The donations will cover the cost of the memorial and
ensure that funding will be in place to replace the monument in perpetuity.
The Arlington
National Cemetery commemorative monuments process requires six levels of
approvals. Galeaz said they began in 2012.
The memorial is
dedicated to the 129 men lost aboard USS Thresher (SSN-593) on April 10, 1963,
during deep dive exercises 220 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. The Thresher
tragedy was the largest submarine disaster ever experienced by the United
States, and led to the inception of the SUBSAFE program, which continues to
protect men and women who serve on U.S. submarines.
In the 55 years
since the inception of SUBSAFE, only one submarine has been lost; the USS
Scorpion, in what is believed to be due to a battery explosion. In the 46 years
prior, the country saw a non-combat average loss rate of one submarine every
three years.
Thresher was built
at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and commissioned in 1961.
The tragedy had a
deep impact on the New England community. Approximately two dozen families of
the men lost aboard the submarine still live in New Hampshire, and a number of
other families live in Maine. In Kittery, the flagpole at the traffic circle
stands as a Thresher memorial.
"The hallowed
grounds of Arlington is the most suitable location from the family perspective
for this memorial," Galeaz said. "Three million people visit there a
year. How better can we perpetuate the legacy of the men lost? That's what the
family members want. They want the legacy of their loved ones preserved."
At the 50th anniversary,
Galeaz said family members were "very concerned this would never
happen," and that the tragedy would simply remain a local event recognized
in small memorials around the country.
"They now are
literally so thankful that their loved ones are going to be remembered,"
he said. "I served on submarines. Every time I dove, I surfaced because of
Thresher. I had the opportunity of coming home to my family because of the men
lost on Thresher."
Senators and
members of Congress joined the push for a Thresher memorial at Arlington
National Cemetery. Led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., a letter of support was
sent to the secretary of the Army co-signed by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.,
Maine Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I), and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth
Warren (D).
Former New
Hampshire Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter led a letter of support signed by 15
members of the House Armed Services Committee.
The New Hampshire
delegation issued statements Tuesday in response to the Army's approval of the
memorial.
"At long last, the 129 brave men who
perished aboard the USS Thresher more than five decades ago will receive a
memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their legacy," Shaheen
said. "This monument is so important for the families who lost loved ones
on that fateful day, and is incredibly meaningful to the Seacoast community. I
applaud the advocacy of the USS Thresher Arlington National Cemetery Memorial
Foundation, who helped spearhead this effort, and I look forward to an official
announcement on the Army's plan to make this project a reality."
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