SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — A breathing flag ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River honored the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed aboard the USS Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack 84 years ago.

The USS Arizona casualties account for more than half of the total U.S. military service members killed on Dec. 7, 1941.

Pillars surround the memorial gardens. The taller ones light up around sunset. They represent each life lost. The pillars are positioned to match the exact width and length of the battleship that sank.

Navy veteran Jeremia Mueller paid his respects to the fallen who never expected to go under attack on what started as a peaceful Sunday morning.

“Bright and early in the morning. They were getting ready for a church service on a Sunday just like today,”

See Full Page