69th Commemoration of The Port Chicago Naval Magazine explosion July 20, 2013 (part 3 of 10)

The 69th Annual Commemoration of The Port Chicago explosion on Saturday July 20, 2013 at Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial in Concord, California, USA. On the evening of July 17, 1944, residents in the San Francisco east bay area were jolted awake by a massive explosion that cracked windows and lit up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were instantly killed when two ships being loaded with ammunition for the Pacific theatre troops blew up. This was WWII's worst homefront disaster. Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is not only a tribute to the 320 men who died in the WWII explosion, but it became the touchstone for desegregation in the military. A portion of the Port Chicago Naval Magazine was dedicated as a National Memorial in 1994. On October 28th, 2009, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial became the 392nd unit of the National Park Service. The ceremony honors the courage and commitment of those sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Merchant Marines, and civilians killed, injured and missing in the largest homeland disaster during World War II. We also reflected on the experiences of those sailors who survived and helped us move forward in its wake. In October 2009, the National Memorial became the 392nd unit of the National Park System. The National Park Service coordinates with the Army and offers free tours of the site via NPS shuttle for visitors who make reservations in advance. For more information, call (925) 228-8860 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/poch. 2013 Receipient of the Friends of port Chicago Commemorative Heroes Award presented to Dr. Robert L. Allen, author of "The Port Chicago Munity: The Story of the Largest Mass Munity Trial in U.S. Naval History" and retired Adjunct Professor of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Reference: Allen, Robert L. (2006). The Port Chicago Mutiny. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. ISBN 978-1-59714-028-7. OCLC 63179024. The Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial is a registered non-profit and the official fundraising partner of the National Park Service, created to help support and enhance the Port Chicago National Monument in 2007. Friends of Port Chicago was successful in advocating for designation of Port Chicago as a national memorial and now it's mission is to promote the history of Port Chicago, support the growth of the park and inform the visitor experience through virtual and real-time experiences and education. http://portchicagomemorial.org/ In Honor and Memory of... 211 Navy Officers and Enlisted, 1 Marine Corps Enlisted, 30 Navy Armed Guardsmen, 5 Coast Guard Enlisted, 67 Merchant Marine Crewman, 3 Navy Civil Service, And the 394 military and civilians who were injured. Special thanks to... U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps -- Arkansas Division, Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial, U.S. Army, 834th Transportation Battalion/Military Ocean Terminal Concord, U.S. Coast Guard Alameda,