Origami Crane made by Sadako Sasaki on Display at the Battleship Missouri Memorial
Pearl Harbor, HI – (July 9, 2019) – The Sadako Legacy Foundation presented the USS Missouri Memorial Association with one of Sadako Sasaki’s paper cranes. The origami crane will be on display in the Wardroom on board the Mighty Mo in 2020 as part of the Association’s yearlong commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII.
“This is more than just a presentation, but a representation of the strengthening of ties between the United States and Japan,” said Michael A. Carr, president & CEO of the USS Missouri Memorial Association. “We are honored The Sadako Legacy Foundation chose the Mighty Mo as a place to display this significant piece of history.”
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Japanese Mayors of Uwajima, Nagaoka, Chigasaki, Director of Hiroshima Mayors for Peace, and Japan’s Consul General in Honolulu Koichi Ito were in attendance at the crane presentation on board the Battleship Missouri Memorial. Bishop Eric Matsumoto of Honpa Hongwanji Mission offered a closing prayer. The USS Missouri Memorial Association’s Curator, Meghan Rathbun accepted the crane on behalf of the organization.
“Sharing Sadako’s cranes is a way to remember victims in both countries,” said Yuji Sasaki, Sadako’s nephew and representative of the Sadako Legacy Foundation who came from Japan just for this presentation, carrying Sadako’s crane. “The origami cranes are a symbol of healing during challenging times and an opportunity to move forward from the war.”
On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima near Sadako Sasaki’s home. She is widely remembered through the story of the thousand paper cranes she folded before dying on October 25, 1955 at the age of 12 after a long battle with leukemia.
About the Battleship Missouri Memorial
Since opening in January 1999, the Battleship Missouri Memorial has attracted more than 8.5-million visitors from around the world with a fascinating tour experience showcasing the USS Missouri’s unique place in history. Located a mere ship’s length from the USS Arizona Memorial, the Mighty Mo completes a historical visitor experience that begins with the “day of infamy” and sinking of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and ends with Japan’s formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
The USS Missouri
had an astounding career over five decades and three wars – World War II, the Korean War, and Desert Storm – after which it was decommissioned and donated to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The Association operates the Battleship Missouri Memorial as a historic attraction and oversees her care and preservation with the support of visitors, memberships, grants, and donations.
The Battleship Missouri Memorial is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. General admission, which includes choice of an optional tour, is $29 per adult and $13 per child (4-12). Military, kamaaina (local resident) and school group pricing is available. For information or reservations, call (toll-free) 1-877-644-4896 or visit USSMissouri.org.
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Please credit the following images to the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
Link to image: https://imgur.com/BkF7xyI
Caption: The Sadako Legacy Foundation presented the USS Missouri Memorial Association with one of Sadako Sasaki’s paper cranes with Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell in attendance.
Link to image: https://i.imgur.com/D9A2QTn.jpg
Caption: The origami crane will be on display in the Wardroom on board the Mighty Mo in 2020 as part of the Association’s yearlong commemoration of the 75th
anniversary of the end of WWII.
Media Contact:
Shere’e Quitevis
(808) 539- 3434
Sheree.Quitevis@AnthologyGroup.com
Jaclyn Hawse
(808) 455-1600 x 246
JaclynH@ussmissouri.org