TUCSON, Ariz. — "I had a small part to play in the project, but I was really happy and proud to be part of it," said artist Will Stewart.
The project: building a memorial fit to honor the sacrifice of those who died on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Stewart's vision helped give the memorial it's final design, he had some help to capture the gravity of this event in a table top memorial.
"The important part of this entire memorial is the fact that there is an actual piece of the Arizona sitting here."
Bracing the iron table is an actual link from the anchor chain of the USS Arizona.
The link was given to the VFW Post 549, the decision then was made to make it part of a memorial that would sit among other's who've served.
Enter Steve Kanoza and Cemrock Landscaping, who volunteered the $10,000 to bring this memorial to life.
"I approached my superiors at work with the idea and everybody was 100 percent for it from the moment the words came out of my mouth," Kanoza said.
"There wasn't any hesitation at all."
The memorial is fitting for Ken Whitecotton, a Vietnam veteran.
"If we can keep this kind of thing alive, that we continue to spread this spirit, this call to action to remember that the freedom isn't free, it costs."
The Memorial will be unveiled on December 7 at the high school essay contest: "Voice of Democracy."
The unveiling will be held at the VFW Post 549 at 1 p.m.
