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One night a year, a beacon atop Mount Diablo is lit at sunset and shines all night in memory of Pearl Harbor Day.

Survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor plan to meet this afternoon on top of Mount Diablo to remember what happened on Dec. 7 in 1941 and to light the beacon on the summit.

Since 1964, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, whose numbers dwindle every year, has lit the summit beacon, known as the "Eye of Diablo."

The beacon was originally built in 1928 to encourage commercial aviation by aiding night flights, said Ron Brown, executive director of the nonprofit Save Mount Diablo, which co-sponsors the annual event.

The beacon was turned off in 1941 after the attacks and has since sustained extensive damage, Brown said. Weather conditions and being turned on only once a year have left the beacon without necessary ongoing maintenance; its bearings have deteriorated, the wiring is less than reliable, and mechanisms need to be refurbished or replaced.

Still, Brown expects the beacon to light for the 48th annual ceremony, which begins at 3:45 p.m. Four to five Pearl Harbor survivors are expected to attend the event and share their memories. The hour-long event will also feature a guest speaker.

"At the conclusion of the ceremony, everybody goes to outside from the summit building and one of the survivors will flip the switch to turn the beacon on," Brown said. "It will shine until the next morning as a beacon of remembrance for those who served their country."

Elsewhere in the Bay Area, A variety of ceremonies were held to mark the 71st anniversary of the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor that killed about 2,400 members of the America's military and plunged the nation into World War II.

Pearl Harbor survivors were honored at a ceremony this morning at Coast Guard Island in Alameda that included the placing of a wreath, a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

Vice Admiral Paul Zukunft, the commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area, and Rear Admiral Christopher Colven, the Coast Guard Pacific Area deputy commander, participated in the ceremony.

Also this morning, the Northern California Recycle Rides program marked the anniversary by presenting refurbished vehicles at Chilton Auto Body in San Francisco to American soldiers returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Recycled Rides is a nationwide community service project in which members of the National Auto Body Council repair and donate recycled vehicles
to families and service organizations in need in their local communities.

In addition, there will be an art exhibit by more than 20 U.S. military veterans at Bridgehead Studios in Alameda from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The
artwork includes photos, pixels, paint, pottery and sculpture.

The day after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin Roosevelt told Congress in a speech that Dec. 7, 1941, is "a date which will live in infamy."

California Gov. Jerry Brown said in a proclamation today, "While still deploring the treachery of one country attacking another without provocation, we remember with even greater awe the valor of those who defended Pearl Harbor, and the many more who answered their country's call in the ensuing mobilization."

Brown said, "The 2,402 members of the armed forces who gave their lives that day will always live in our hearts as true American heroes."

Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News Service contributed to this article

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