The Last Survivor of the USS Arizona from Pearl Harbor, Has Died at 102

"The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten." - Calvin Coolidge

Lou Conter, the last survivor of the USS Arizona, which was attacked and sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack, died yesterday at age 102. He died at his home in Green Valley, California, following congestive heart failure. 

Approximately 1,177 sailors and Marines were killed when the USS Arizona was attacked. This death toll from the USS Arizona constitutes about half of the total fatalities from the Pearl Harbor attack. At the time of the attack, Conter was a quartermaster on the Arizona's main deck, and sailors were just starting to hoist the American flag.

According to AP News, he recalled how one bomb hit the gunpowder storage aboard the Arizona, and set off more than 1 million pounds of gunpowder as a result in an interview. In his autobiography “The Lou Conter Story,” Conter further describes how he joined other survivors in caring for the injured. Many of them were already blinded and/or badly burned. Only 335 sailors on the USS Arizona survived the Pearl Harbor attack. 

Let this sink in for a second. All 335 survivors, who each had powerful stories to tell of sacrifice and selflessness from that day, are now no longer alive to share them. Because they can no longer share their experiences themselves, it is our job as Americans to keep their memories alive for the future. America, we cannot let these valuable stories be forgotten. We also cannot afford to forget the names and memories of the 2,403 other sailors and Marines who were killed that fateful day. Stories like this are why Honor Their Stories exists. 

Fair winds and following seas.