WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — A flag recovered from the USS Utah, the first ship sunk at Pearl Harbor, now rests in Washington City Hall as the community prepares to honor the vessel's legacy on Pearl Harbor Day.
The USS Utah was struck during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. The wreckage and most of the 58 crew members who died remain at the bottom of Pearl Harbor today.
According to Washington City Council Member Kurt Ivie, it was part of an effort to right a historic wrong.
"The original motivation for this effort was that when we realized that the USS Utah, the SS or BB-31, was known as the forgotten ship. That didn't sit well with any of us," Washington City Council Member Kurt Ivie said. "Forgotten ship, Utah, are you kidding me?"
Local resident John Olsen discovered the flag in old belongings and recognized the Pearl Harbor and USS Utah markings made it special.
"This was an individual sailor's flag that was in one of the rooms downstairs in the areas where the sailors were boarded," Ivie said.
The flag now sits in the city hall lobby alongside a model of the ship built by the city's public works department and a plaque with the names of those killed.
Among those honored is Peter Tomich, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.
"Right here's a sailor, last name Tomich, and he was the Congressional Medal of Honor winner because of his actions when the ship was fatally wounded, he stayed below deck and kept the pressure regulated so the ship didn't blow up of its own pressure and allowed time for everyone to get off and he went down with the ship," Ivie said.
Thanks to Tomich's sacrifice, 461 Utah sailors survived. The last living survivor died in August.
The connection to military service runs deep in Washington City. Ivie lost two uncles in the Pacific during World War II.
"We had 104 of our 510 residents in 1941 enlist and serve in the military. Almost 25% of our city served in World War II. And we have tremendous stories of heroism and sacrifice and devotion," Ivie said.
When the new USS Utah nuclear submarine was christened last month, Washington City was the only Utah community to send a delegation in person. The city was also selected as the sponsor of the new vessel.
"What was most impressive to me was when we got to interact with the commander, the captain, and the sailors," Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli said. "I didn't know really what to expect with a christening event like this. But I went in with an open mind and my first impression was just the sheer size of the submarine. I mean nearly 400 feet long and they said the boat cost $8 billion to build."
On December 7, the city will hold a ceremony at Heritage Hall to honor the original USS Utah.
"We want people to understand that we're not willing for this ship to be the forgotten ship anymore and for people not to know about the sacrifices that our military makes for us every day that we don't know about," Ivie said.
