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Tri-Valley residents are invited to commemorate this year's Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day with a ceremony and lighting of the historic beacon on Mount Diablo that dates back to the Pearl Harbor attacks and the start of U.S. involvement in World War II.
The beacon near the mountain's peak was first installed in 1928, where it was illuminated to guide aviation traffic before being extinguished amid blackout efforts aimed at preventing further attacks on U.S. soil in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attacks on Dec. 7, 1941.
Among the dwindling number of survivors of the attack in the decades since is Chuck Kohler, who has been a fixture at the annual event and is expected to offer remarks again this year.
"The beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor," Kohler said in a statement.
The beacon remained dark for more than 20 years after the Pearl Harbor attacks, until 1964 when Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces during World War II, led a beacon lighting and commemorative ceremony on that year's Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, calling for it to be an annual tradition.
The tradition has continued ever since, with the historic beacon — now the only operational one of four that were installed across the West Coast — serving as a distinctly regional reminder of the history of the war and its impact locally.
The annual event is a collaborative effort between organizers with Save Mount Diablo, Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Chapter 5, and California State Parks.
The ceremony is set to kick off at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 7) at the California State University East Bay's Concord campus at 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road, with an exhibit on the USS Arizona on campus available between 3 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
Monique Belusa is set to perform the national anthem as part of the ceremony's introduction, following a posting of colors and pledge of allegiance led by the Historical Forces Association. CSUEB officials are set to offer opening remarks, followed by words from Save Mount Diablo Executive Director Ted Clement and retired U.S. Army Col. Al Kalin ahead of Kohler's appearance.
The event will culminate with the beacon lighting at 5 p.m.
