A few centenarian survivors of Pearl Harbor’s attack joined approximately 2,500 people at the site of the Japanese bombing Wednesday to remember those who died 81 years ago.

The audience sat silently during a momentary silence at 7:55 AM, when the attack started on Dec. 7, 1941.

The USS Daniel Inouye’s sailors stood alongside the rails of a guided missile destroyer as it passed by the grassy shoreline, where the ceremony was held, and the USS Arizona Memorial to remember the victims and survivors. Ken Stevens, a 100 year-old survivor of the USS Whitney, gave the salute.

“The Pearl Harbor National Memorial will share the everlasting legacy of Pearl Harbor for all time. We must not forget those who have gone before us so we can chart a better and more peaceful path for those to come,” stated Tom Leatherman, Superintendent of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

The bombing killed approximately 2,400 servicemen and launched the U.S into World War II. Nearly half of the deaths occurred on the USS Arizona, which lost 1,177 sailors or Marines. The ship sits on the harbor floor and most of the Arizona’s fallen are still inside.

Ira Schab (102 years old) was a tuba player on the USS Dobbin’s band. He recalled seeing Japanese planes fly overhead and was curious what he could do.

Before the ceremony began, he stated that “We had nowhere to go and hoped that they’d miss me”.

He supplied ammunition to the machine gunners aboard the vessel. The ship was not struck.

He has now been to the remembrance ceremonies four times.

“I wouldn’t miss it because I have a lot of friends who are still here and are buried here. He said, “I come back out of respect.”

Schab remained in the Navy throughout the war. He studied aerospace engineering after the war and was involved in the Apollo program. He resides in Portland, Oregon today.

He wishes people to remember those who served on that day.

Remember what they are here for. Honor those who are gone. They did an amazing job. He said, “Those who are still alive or dead,”

Six survivors were present, which is less than the dozen or so who traveled from all over the country to Hawaii for the annual remembrance ceremonies in recent years.

The decline is partly due to the declining number of survivors as they get older. On Dec. 7, 1941 the youngest active-duty military personnel would have been 17 years old. They are now 98. Many of those who are still alive are around 100.

Herb Elfring (100), or Jackson, Michigan said it was wonderful that so many people showed interest in the memorial and attended the ceremony.

He said, “So many people don’t even know where Pearl Harbor sits or what happened that day.”

Elfring served in the Army and was assigned to the 251st Coast Artillery of the California National Guard. Elfring recalled hearing bombs explode just a few miles from Pearl Harbor, but thought it was an exercise.

He then saw a red dot on the fuselage of the Japanese Zero fighter aircraft as it flew past him near Camp Malakole.

He said, “That was a rude awakening.” He said that one soldier from his unit was wounded by the bullets but that no one died.

Robert John Lee remembers as a 20-year old civilian living at his parents’ home on the naval base, where his father owned the water pumping station. The home was located just 1 mile (1.6 km) from the USS Arizona’s mooring place on battleship row.

He woke up from the first blasts just before 8 a.m., thinking that a door was creaking in the wind. He yelled for someone to close the door, only to see Japanese planes dropping torpedoes from the sky.

After an aerial bomb had hit the USS Arizona, he saw its hull turn deep orange-red.

Lee explained that the explosion sent huge tongues of fire straight up at the ship, hundreds of feet above the ship. This was just a matter of seconds after Lee had completed a boat tour around the harbor.

He can still hear the crackling sound of the fire.

To escape their burning ships, sailors jumped in the water and swam to Lee’s landing. Many were covered by the heavy, thick oil that had encrusted the harbor. Lee and his mother used Fels Naptha soap to wash their clothes. Sailors who could board small boats to transport them back to their ships were able to do so.

Lee said, “Very heroic,” Lee said about them.

Lee joined the Hawaii Territorial Guard that day and then the U.S Navy the following day. After the war, he worked for Pan American World Airways 30 years.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs does not have statistics on how many Pearl Harbor survivors still live. Department data shows that only 240,000 of the 16,000,000 World War II veterans were still alive in August, and another 230 died each day.

According to a rough estimate by J. Michael Wenger, there were approximately 87,000 military personnel on Oahu during the attack.

 

@camila.s.footprints Today we celebrate National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and the 81st anniversary of the attack in Hawaii. On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese military made a surprise raid on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 U.S. service members and civilians. More than 1,100 people were injured in the attack, which also destroyed aircraft and naval vessels, according to the National Parks Service. The next day, Congress would declare war with Japan, leading the U.S. into World War II. During an address to a joint session of Congress, then-President Franklin Roosevelt famously called Dec. 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy.” Congress in 1994 designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and each year commemorations are held in Hawaii and across the country. American flags from coast to coast will be flown at half-staff in honor of the anniversary. #pearlharbor #pearlharborremembranceday #pearlharborattack #pearlharborwwii ♬ original sound – Camila’s Footprints