WWII BOOK SIGNING AT PEARL HARBOR HONORS SURVIVOR AND NAVY MECHANIC BOB BARRIGAN

Dr. Eileen Lockhart to sign Bluejacket Legacy and share her father’s wartime reflections

HONOLULU (Sept. 18, 2025) – Pacific Historic Parks will host a special book signing event at Pearl Harbor National Memorial on Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring Dr. Eileen Lockhart, co-author of Bluejacket Legacy: When One Defining Moment Shapes a Life.

The memoir chronicles the life of Bob Barrigan, a Pearl Harbor survivor and Navy aviation mechanic who served aboard the seaplane tender USS Tangier (AV-8). He enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and rose to the rank of Aviation Technician First Class (AT1) during a 20-year career that spanned the Pacific Theater and key World War II battles. Barrigan arrived in Hawaii just weeks before the December 7, 1941 attack. 

Born to a Greek and Native American family in working-class Los Angeles, Barrigan spent part of his early life at the famed Miller's 101 Ranch, where he encountered American legends like Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley. Though he believed he was signing up for the Coast Guard, Barrigan ultimately found his calling in Navy aviation—serving in Hawaii, Wake Island, Espiritu Santo, and the Battle of the Coral Sea. 

Lockhart and her sister compiled their father’s recorded reflections into Bluejacket Legacy to preserve his firsthand accounts of the war, including the moment he stood atop a naval tower during the attack on Pearl Harbor and “looked into the eyes of the enemy.” During the event, she will sign books and may share selections from her father’s story in his own voice.

This event is free and open to the public, offering a rare opportunity to connect with history through the lived experience of one sailor whose life was shaped by war. 

About Pacific Historic Parks

Pacific Historic Parks is a non-profit cooperative association of the National Park Service (NPS) and has been raising funds and providing support to NPS mission programs at Pearl Harbor since 1979, when it was known as the Arizona Memorial Museum Association. PHP also supports NPS mission programs at Kalaupapa National Historical Park on Molokai, War in the Pacific National Historical Park on Guam, American Memorial Park in Saipan and Honouliuli National Historic Site on Oahu. Additionally, PHP partners with the state of Hawaii to support Diamond Head State Monument. PHP’s mission is to Remember, Honor and Understand World War II in the Pacific. For more information, visit www.pacifichistoricparks.org