SALT LAKE CITY — Below the waters of Ford Island lies the rusty medal from a shipwreck, and while some shipwrecks are forgotten, this one holds key memories.

“I was just a kid, on my own,” said Utah veteran Ray Gibbons.

While some considered it a historical landmark, Gibbons considered it a friend.

“Being so far from home, it was hard for me to see it, knowing what had happened,” he said through tears.

The USS Utah was a battleship that sank at Pearl Harbor, and years later, Gibbons could see it from his window while he served in the Navy.

“The Vietnam War was going on. I didn't know whether or not I'd be over there or not at that point, but it was scary, but it brought me home to Utah,” he said.

Tim Martin, a Utah veteran who operated submarines during his time in the Navy, said the

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