Paying Tribute: OU to Play in Pearl Harbor Game

Lon Kruger has taken his teams to many historical sites in his 30 years as a coach, but none is more historic than where the Oklahoma men's basketball team will venture this weekend.

Two powerhouse programs with Final Four expectations will meet Monday at 6 p.m. (Oklahoma time) when the No. 6-ranked Sooners (5-0) face No. 8-ranked Villanova (7-0) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam near Honolulu in the FS1 Pearl Harbor Invitational, as part of the 74th anniversary of the sneak attack that resulted in the United States joining World War II.

The Sooners will help pay tribute to more than 2,400 Americans who lost their lives when Japanese forces attacked the U.S. military installations at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The game will be held at Bloch Arena (4,024 capacity) and other than each team's small travel party, it will be open only to military personnel.

“This trip, I think, is a little extra special given the timing with Pearl Harbor Day and the special educational opportunities,” said Kruger, who estimates he has taken 10 of his teams to Hawaii for tournament play. “The events of that day are so far removed from our young people, from their era. This will be a special opportunity for our guys to appreciate the sacrifices made by those who served. Plus, getting to play a quality club like Villanova makes it even more special. Playing in this game will be a true honor for our basketball program.”

The four-day remembrance was the creation of Fox Sports with cooperation from the four branches of the U.S. military – Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. In addition to two college basketball games (the other being Oregon vs. Navy), activities will include the Fox NFL Sunday show and Major League Baseball and the U.S. women's national soccer team games.

The Sooners' itinerary this weekend includes attending a reception Saturday night at the Admiral's home on Ford Island, an hour-long boat tour of Pearl Harbor on Sunday morning, followed by practice and possibly attending the USWNT match against Trinidad-Tobago at Aloha Stadium.

“This is an exceptional opportunity, a unique event,” said OU director of basketball operations Mike Shepherd. “Coach (Kruger) wasn't going to turn down a chance like this. It's a one-of-a-kind experience.”

The Sooners also will be representing the seven Pearl Harbor survivors who still call Oklahoma home:

Ed Vezey: A resident of Moore, Vezey was a Gunnery Officer on the USS Oklahoma during the attack. He is believed to be the last survivor of the USS Oklahoma still living in Oklahoma. The 583-foot, 27,500-ton battleship capsized and sank after it was hit by Japanese torpedoes, killing 429 sailors and Marines onboard.

Ed Vezey

Lonnie Cook: A resident of Morris, Cook was a sailor on board the USS Arizona. Only 335 crew mates survived the attack and Cook is one of only seven still living.

Domenic "Don" Baldrachi: Stationed at Schofield Barracks, Baldrachi was visiting a school friend at the Submarine Base the morning of the attack. A member of the Army, Baldrachi was assigned to the 65th Combat Engineer Regiment. He lives in Dewey.

Eugene "Gene" Meeker: Stationed at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, about 13 miles from Pearl Harbor, Meeker was in the Navy and a mechanic on PBY aircraft. Meeker now lives in Sand Springs. The Kaneohe Bay station was the first site hit by the Japanese during the attack.

Meeker was visiting at a friend's barracks when the attack began. “We heard the strafing before we knew what was happening,” said Meeker, who dropped the Sunday paper he was reading and ran straight to his squadron hangar.

Lonnie Cook

The raid at Kaneohe was over within minutes, but it still killed 18 American servicemen and crippled the station. Of the 33 PBY seaplanes there, all but six were destroyed. Of those, only three -- out on patrol at the time -- were undamaged and fit for service. One hangar was leveled.

“It was an experience, I'll tell you,” Meeker said.

Joe Allsup: An Owasso native now living in Tulsa, Alsup also was stationed at Kaneohe Bay NAS. Allsup had just finished an overnight shift at the station switchboard when enemy planes descended. The planes were flying so low you could “count the pilots' teeth,” Allsup said in an interview last year with the Tulsa World. “(The Japanese) completely tore up everything they could get in their sights.”

Jim Jenkins: A Tulsa native now residing in Claremore, Jenkins was in the Marine barracks at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack.

Don Baldrachi and his wife

Arles Cole: Now living in Tulsa, Cole was on board the USS West Virginia. Later in the same day of the attack, he shimmied up the flag pole and hung the American flag, which appears in many historic pictures.

Cole had spent the night before the attack purchasing Christmas gifts in Honolulu to send to relatives back home in Porum.

He was at his assigned station on the bridge of the USS West Virginia. The attack began at 7:55 a.m. (Hawaii time) when a wave of 186 Japanese bombers attacked the defenseless battleships line up in “Battleship Row.”

“I remember somebody yelled, 'We're being bombed by the Japanese,'” Cole told TulsaPeople Magazine. “We recognized them immediately as Japanese planes because we could see the red ball on their wings as they flew over.”

Cole also played an historic role on the West Virginia.

Arles Cole

In the interview with TulsaPeople, Cole said he noticed “the United States flag had not been hoisted that day because of the bombing. Cole explains that as a young and patriotic Oklahoman, he could not tolerate his ship lacking a flag flying from its mast. He scurried back below deck to the ship's bunting locker, where he grabbed the largest flag he could find. Returning topside, as he approached the ship's stern, he saw that the halyard on the flagstaff had burned, but some line was remaining at the top of the pole. Cole shinnied up the flagstaff, which angled out over the oily water, and tied the flag to the staff. Cole admits that the sight of the flag waving in the breeze above the West Virginia seemed to inspire other sailors as they began efforts to recover from the deadly attack.”

Gene Meeker

Cole shared his experiences is his 2009 book “Showing Our Colors at Pearl Harbor: A Firsthand Account Through the Eyes of a 17-Year-Old Survivor.”

A frequent speaker at schools, Cole often has question-and-answer sessions with 12- and 13-year-old students.

“Were you scared?” a 13-year-old boy once asked Cole.

Cole paused and chuckled before replying, “I guess I've never been asked that question. Yes, of course, I was scared. We were all scared, but we all had jobs to do and we concentrated on doing those jobs to defend our ships and to fight for our country the best we knew how.”

OU and Villanova will be an outstanding matchup on Monday and the potential to earn an impressive early season victory will be on the line. But it all pales in comparison to the experience and education these Sooners will receive this weekend at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. An opportunity Kruger knows far outweighs a win or a loss. Students first, athletes second.

**NOTE** Pictured in the lead photo are (from left to right): Ed Vezey, Arles Cole, Gene Meeker, Lonnie Cook and Don Baldrachi

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Paying Tribute: OU to Play in Pearl Harbor Game

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors