Only 12 Pearl Harbor Survivors Are Still Alive — And All Are Over 100
Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941, meaning the U.S. just marked the 84th anniversary of the tragedy.
However, no survivors were able to attend the anniversary ceremony this year because they are all over 100. There are only 12 Pearl Harbor survivors who are still alive. The anniversary ceremony typically takes place at the shoreline near where the USS Arizona still leaks oil. More than 2,300 people died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, sending the U.S. into World War II. It won't be long before the living memories of Pearl Harbor will cease to exist, captured only through oral histories and written memoirs.
A 105-Year-Old Pearl Harbor Survivor Had to Cancel His Plans to Attend the Anniversary Ceremony
According to the Associated Press, Ira "Ike" Schab, 105, is one of the 12 living Pearl Harbor survivors. His daughter Kimberlee Heinrichs said he wanted to fly to Hawaii from Oregon, but he became too ill to travel.
“The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don’t know — it hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe,” she told the AP. According to AP, 87,000 troops were stationed at Pearl Harbor; in 2024, only two survivors made it to the ceremony. In 2023, five survivors were able to attend.
(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
According to The New York Post, the oldest Pearl Harbor survivor was Vaughn P. Drake Jr.,106, but he died in 2025. In 2024, there were 16 Pearl Harbor survivors who were still alive.
Only five service members survived the attack, according to the National Park Service, which posts a list of the survivors and dead. The 12 living survivors are among the tens of thousands of troops stationed at Pearl Harbor, however.
Pearl Harbor.org publishes a blog that lists survivors who have passed away. Lou Conter was the last survivor of the U.S.S. Arizona, but he passed away in 2024. According to NPR, Conter "was a 20-year-old quartermaster at the time of the naval assault." He died at age 102.
The Library of Congress preserves collections, photographs, and remembrances of Pearl Harbor, with many available online. The collections include oral histories and "man on the street" interviews.
What happened at Pearl Harbor?
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan "launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The assault killed or wounded more than 3,500 American troops and civilians; severely damaged the fleet; and shocked the nation," according to the U.S. Department of War.
"The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress and the nation, declaring the 'American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.' The U.S. entered World War II within hours," the website says.
"Before dawn on Dec. 7, 1941, seven of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s nine battleships rested on 'Battleship Row' along the east side of Ford Island. Along with an eighth dry-docked nearby, they constituted Japan’s priority target," it explains.
A lesser-known fact: "Japanese forces accompanied the Pearl Harbor assault, which fell on Dec. 8 in Japan, with well-coordinated surprise attacks on U.S. and British bases throughout the Pacific, including in the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Malaya (now part of Malaysia), and Hong Kong. Japan formally declared war on both the United States and the British Empire."