Lt. Col. (select) Christopher Shaw, assigned to Marine Forces Pacific, salutes the colors during the first Celebration of Life for West Loch Internees at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

HONOLULU (May. 21, 2010) Lt. Col. (select) Christopher Shaw, assigned to Marine Forces Pacific, salutes the colors during the first Celebration of Life for West Loch Internees at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Celebration of Life commemorates the West Loch disaster, which occurred on May 21, 1944 when a chain reaction of explosions killed 163 men and wounded 396 men during an ammunition load. Many of the service members involved were assigned to the predominantly African American 29th Chemical Decontamination Company. The event was hosted by the African American Diversity Cultural Center Hawaii. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico) File# 100521-N-7498L-014