Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: “Eye of Diablo” Beacon Lighting Ceremony

WALNUT CREEK, CA — On December 7th, Mount Diablo’s Beacon will be relit by a survivor of Pearl Harbor supported by a Save Mount Diablo team.

The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Chapter 5 are pleased to co-sponsor this 60th Annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Beacon Lighting Ceremony with Save Mount Diablo; California State Parks; and California State University, East Bay.

We invite you to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to the lives that were lost and honor our surviving veterans of Pearl Harbor. The ceremony will be held at the California State University, East Bay Concord Campus, at 4700 Ygnacio Valley Road in Concord.

Viewing of the new USS Arizona exhibit at the CSUEB Concord Campus will be available from 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM and for a limited time post ceremony. The ceremony will commence at 3:45 PM in the Oak Room. Pearl Harbor Survivor Earl “Chuck” Kohler is expected to attend.

The program begins with the posting of colors and pledge of allegiance by the Historical Forces Association, and national anthem, sung by Monique Belusa.

Robert Phelps, PhD, former Executive Director of California State University, East Bay Concord Campus will give opening remarks, followed by a welcoming by Cynthia Zefeldt, Administrator for the campus.

Ted Clement, Executive Director for Save Mount Diablo, will give ceremonial remarks, and then Clint Elsholz, Acting Diablo Range District Superintendent, will give district remarks.

Alan Kalin, Colonel, U.S. Army (ret.), will then speak, followed by a patriotic song by Monique Belusa. Pearl Harbor Survivor Earl “Chuck” Kohler will be introduced by Wayne Korsinen, honorary member of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. Earl “Chuck” Kohler will speak about his experiences on December 7, 1941.

Afterwards, Frank Dorritie of Bugles across America will perform “Taps.” At 5 PM, the Beacon will be lit.

“The Beacon lighting is a tribute to those individuals that lost their lives at Pearl Harbor,” remarked Earl “Chuck” Kohler, Pearl Harbor Survivor.

The ceremony is also an opportunity to honor the survivors.

The ceremony will also be broadcast on Contra Costa Television during the following dates and times:

• Thursday, December 21 at 9:00 PM
• Saturday, December 23 at 1:00 PM
• Tuesday, December 26 at 9:00 AM
• Thursday, December 28 at 9:00 PM
• Saturday, December 30 at 1:00 PM
• Tuesday, January 2 at 9:00 AM

Contra Costa TV is available to watch on Comcast channel 27, AT&T/U-verse channel 99, and Astound 32 and 1027, or online at www.contracostatv.org.

The Beacon on Mount Diablo was originally installed and illuminated in 1928 to aid in transcontinental aviation. It is one of the four guiding beacons installed along the West Coast by Standard Oil of California and is the only one known to still be operational.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Beacon’s light was extinguished during the West Coast blackout, for fear it could enable an attack on California. It stayed dark until Pearl Harbor Day in 1964, when Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces during World War II, relit the Beacon in a commemorative ceremony and suggested it be illuminated every December 7th to honor those who served and sacrificed.

Since that day, Pearl Harbor veterans and their families have gathered every December 7th to see the Beacon light shine once again.

The Beacon now shines brighter than ever since it underwent an extensive restoration process in 2013 (thanks to a campaign led by Save Mount Diablo) to ensure it continues to shine for many more years. The Pearl Harbor Survivors now know that the Beacon will shine long after they are gone.

The Beacon is lit at sunset and shines all night on this evening each year. Beginning in 2022, it is also lit on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. On Sunday, April 11, 2021, Save Mount Diablo concluded a year of lighting the Beacon weekly to bring light and hope to our region during the worst of the pandemic.

Save Mount Diablo has restored, maintained, and operated the Mount Diablo’s Summit Beacon, the Eye of Diablo for many years, and the organization is grateful to provide this service to our communities despite the time and cost involved.

About Save Mount Diablo

Save Mount Diablo is a nationally accredited, nonprofit land trust founded in 1971 with a mission to preserve Mount Diablo’s peaks, surrounding foothills, watersheds, and connection to the Diablo Range through land acquisition and preservation strategies designed to protect the mountain’s natural beauty, biological diversity, and historic and agricultural heritage; enhance our area’s quality of life; and provide educational and recreational opportunities consistent with protection of natural resources. To learn more, please visit https://www.savemountdiablo.org/.

Other upcoming events: Nov 30-Dec 2: Upcoming Contra Costa County Events