The oldest person who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor dies at the age of 105
- Warren Upton, the oldest survivor of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last survivor of the USS Utah, has died at the age of 105.
- On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes began bombing the American military, pushing the United States into World War II.
- There were about 87,000 soldiers on Oahu on the day of the attack, according to military historian J. Michael Wenger. After Upton’s death, only 15 are still alive.
Warren Upton, the oldest survivor of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last survivor of the USS Utah, has died. He was 105 years old.
Upton died Wednesday at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after an attack of pneumonia, said Kathleen Farley, the California regional chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
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Utah, a battleship, was docked at Pearl Harbor when Japanese planes began bombing the naval base in Hawaii on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, in the attack that propelled the US into World War II.
Warren Upton poses for a photo with his daughter Barbara Upton at his home in San Jose, California, on Nov. 26, 2021. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group via AP)
Upton told The Associated Press in 2020 that he was getting ready to shave when he heard the first torpedo hit the Utah. He remembered that no one on the ship knew what made the ship move. Then, the second torpedo hit and the ship began to list and roll.
The suspect, who was 22 years old at the time, swam to Ford Island, where he jumped into the canal to avoid the Japanese planes that were patrolling the area. He stayed for about 30 minutes until a truck came and took him to safety.
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Upton said he has no problem talking about what happened during the attack. Instead, what annoyed him was that he kept losing his shipmates over the years. In 2020, there were only three Utah workers still alive, including him.
There were approximately 87,000 soldiers on Oahu on the day of the attack, according to military historian J. Michael Wenger. After Upton’s death, only 15 are still alive.
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