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Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary

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***UPDATE!! PLEASE FOLLOW US on this amazing journey with LIVE Facebook Feeds, pics, and videos as we follow the last suviviors through their exciting week of events!! Click on the link below to watch all the updates via Facebook on my personal page here: https://www.facebook.com/pchollywood

** DECEMBER 2, 2016 UPDATE...Due to unforseen circumstances,  we needed to adjust the amount of the funding to accomodate some additonal back up hard drives that were required to preserve the video footage as well as the images I am currently capturing here in Hawaii.  In addition we will be adding  a highlight video of the entire 7 days of events that the survivors shared together.  We felt that this would be a nice take  away for all the family members and surviviors as a souvenir memento.

This video  will be used to help promote the arizonafinalsalute.com organization, as well as sharing on social media, and on YOUTUBE.  Thank you again to the first donations that were raised to get to the original goal of $6000.

And now, here is how my dream started to photograph a survivor from Pearl Harbor....

For the past 5 years I have been donating my time towards photographing veterans, and in particular I have been in search of a single survivor of the USS Arizona.  Back in April of this year my dream came true, as I located not only one, but ALL of the remaining survivors. 

On Dec 1st I will be leaving for Hawaii, and have the opportunity of a lifetime to chronicle in pictures a very private gathering of the last survivors of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor, in connection with the ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor tragedy.  The USS Arizona was one of the battleships that was blown up by Japanese fighter planes in a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, an event that brought the United States into the Second World War.  The attack killed 1,177 of the sailors and marines attached to the USS Arizona, and the ship remains on the bottom of the harbor. 

There are five remaining survivors of that catastrophic day, and they are all 94-96 years old.  Randy Stratton, the son of Donald Stratton, (one of the five survivors), is organizing the gathering, which will include a week long schedule of private events along with some public appearances, but this will otherwise largely be a private event.  I am incredibly honored to have this opportunity, to be part of this historic gathering, and to be able to record for posterity this historic event in our history.

Close friends who know my history of photographing veterans will probably remember the portrait I shot of USS Indianapolis survivor, Paul J. Murphy, as well as a full blown military funeral ceremony I photographed at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring war hero, Edwin Ramsey, who led the last Cavalry under McArthur.  In short, these opportunities don't come along every day, and they have been the most worthwhile and emotionally rewarding events of my life and career.

My goal is to produce a physical “coffee table” book with a compilation of the photos which would be for sale in the USS ARIZONA gift shop, as well as book stores, online, and special events honoring veterans.  I am donating my time to make the trip and photograph the event, but I need financial help to cover travel expenses, permits, the equipment needed do this properly, and the costs of producing the book in electronic form (initially). 

 A portion of the profits from book sales will be going to the USS Arizona Survivors Foundation to help support the families of the survivors and to honor the servicemen of the U.S.S. Arizona.  I am passionate about this project, and I have undertaken this to date on my limited financial means.   My goal is to raise a minimum of $7500 by Dec 7th, which coincides with the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Arizona. 

Once I return home, there will be a tremendous amount of effort and time required to sort through what I am expecting to be in the neighborhood of 20,000 plus images and video content.  I hope you will join me in this exciting adventure, and I humbly and gratefully welcome any support you can offer.  Any overages will go towards the next phase of producing the physical book as well as limited edition prints that we have plans to auction off for fund raising events benefitting the USS ARIZONA Survivors Foundation.  The ultimate goal with our efforts is to honor, remember and help support the arizonafinalsalute.com organization.  Thank you for your generous support and being part of this great cause.

Please note...donations are not tax deductible and are considered a personal gift.  Thank You again....

Sincerely,

Paolo Cascio
Photographer/Filmmaker
www.paolocascio.com
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  • Tom Costello
    • $25 
    • 7 yrs
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Paolo Cascio
Organizer
Schaumburg, IL

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