Proud to be a Part of Honoring Veterans at the USS Arizona Memorial

Our hardware shows up in places you might not expect.

Dale Carlton, Leatherneck Hardware’s CEO, and Jordan Carlton, the CNC and Marketing Department Manager, traveled to Hawaii recently for a project site visit at MCBH Kaneohe Bay (Marine Corps Base). As a part of the trip, they made it a priority to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. Leatherneck designed a special bottom rolling system for the memorial’s main gate and for all of the sliding doors leading to the exhibits.

Dale says the project was a special one for him. “It is an honor to have our hardware at such a significant memorial. Being the son and son-in-law of WW2 veterans, it has a pretty deep meaning to me.”

It was also a project that almost didn’t happen.

“In 2009, Watts Constructors was looking for door and sliding door hardware manufacturers for the exhibit,” remembers Carlton. “Several FRP (Fiberglass) door manufacturers in the states were trying to quote this job, however they could not figure out how to effectively ship these large door panels to Hawaii. The job was pretty much dead when the contractor came to us to see if we could find a manufacturer in Hawaii that could make the doors/gates. I did some research and found a guy that works in fiberglass located in Honolulu , and after some convincing talked him into making the doors. The guy’s name is Foo Lim. What a great guy! His company makes very unique things out of fiberglass.”

Together, they were able to complete the unique project.

Dale says weather doesn’t pose a problem for the doors or the hardware since they are fiberglass and stainless steel.

Jordan Carlton hopes more people will take the time to visit the memorial to remember the sacrifices of so many American heroes. He says a very good visit was made perfect because of a hero they met at the memorial.

“Herb Wetherwax, or Uncle Herb as he’s known, is a native Hawaiian and one of few Pearl Harbor survivors left,” explains Jordan. “On the day of the attack, he was on leave when he was called back to Wheeler Army Airfield, one of the primary targets on December 7th, 1941. He was driving back to Wheeler when the attacks started. Today, Uncle Herb spends several days a week out at the Pearl Harbor memorial and enjoys meeting new people that visit the memorial. He even has his own autobiography, Counting My Blessings. This page has info about Herb. http://www.pearlharborwebsite.com/blog/uncle-herb-his-life-in-pages/”

Here’s a great description of what you’ll see at the memorial . . .

The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spans the mid-portion of the sunken battleship and consists of three main sections: the entry room; the assembly room, a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall.