The Oklahoma was second only to the USS Arizona in the number of casualties that occurred during the 1941 attack that plunged the United States into World War II.

A concert headliner was Oklahoma native Anita Bryant, the 1958 Miss Oklahoma and the second runner-up at the 1959 Miss America Pageant.

Bryant introduced a song for the crew of the battleship, "We Salute Our Thanks to USS Oklahoma."

Five of the estimated 100 surviving crewmen from the battleship attended the nearly two-hour concert Sunday.

Although admission was free, concert goers were asked to contribute to the memorial.

Gary Bohanon, pastor of the Crossroads Church where the concert was held, said the church board voted to donate $10,000 to the memorial.

About $500,000 still is needed for the memorial, which would be dedicated Dec. 7 on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, near where the battleship capsized.

The memorial committee's goal of $750,000 will pay for the memorial as well as provide perpetual maintenance funds under the direction of the National Park Service.

Paul Goodyear of Casa Grande, Ariz., one of the survivors from the ship, said he was impressed with the show. "We're trying to raise money for the memorial in recognition for those kids who died 65 years ago and have been forgotten for so long ... and shuffled into obscurity.

The Oklahoma was one of three battleships that never returned to service after the attack. The others were the USS Arizona and the USS Utah.

The Oklahoma was refloated and was being towed to the U.S. for scrap when it sank in a storm.

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