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By Jeff Steers
JTV News

(December 7, 2021 4:38 PM) Area resident Stan Mazur stood in freezing temperatures with two certificates in his hand.

With a tear in his eye, his quest for a memorial was over.

After nearly three years of working, pleading, and asking, his USS Arizona Memorial was dedicated on Tuesday.

Jackson County Veterans Council held a pair of dedications on Tuesday – Pearl Harbor Day – exactly 80 years after the attack by the Japanese that led to the United States entering World War II.

The first was held at the Cascades Baptist Church in Jackson that included Pearl Harbor Day history, project development reports, and acknowledgment of donors.

The dedication moved across High Street to Sparks Foundation County Park for the unveiling of the USS Arizona Memorial.

Mazur started the project nearly three years ago, working with contractors, county officials, and volunteers.

“The world needs more Stan Mazurs … he is a doer,” Mazur’s son Jeff Mazur said in the first ceremony. 

Mike Way of Jackson County Parks gave an acknowledgment of donors for the project – with a price tag nearing $100,000. 

“I am always amazed as this community never stops giving,” Way said of the project.

A piece of the battleship USS Arizona was obtained by Mazur through his service in the Navy as a member of the Seabees. He worked tirelessly to get the funding, contractors, and approval from county officials.

The memorial will serve as the State of Michigan memorial for the USS Arizona.

It is located right next to the 911 Memorial off Randolph Street at High Street.

During the ceremony the names of 28 sailors who died on the USS Arizona on Dec. 7, 1941. 

The list included Stanley Czarnecki – a firefighter from Jackson. 

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