Ken Stevens, left, and Ira Schab, veterans who survived the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Oahu, attend the 83rd commemoration of the attack at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Dec. 7, 2024. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)
PEARL HARBOR NATIONAL MEMORIAL, Hawaii — Only two veterans who survived the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor attended the annual commemoration Saturday in Hawaii.
Ken Stevens, 102, of Powers, Ore., and Ira Schab, 104, of Beaverton, Ore., sat in the front row facing the harbor waters where Pacific Fleet’s Battleship Row was laid to waste in an attack that brought America into World War II.
The ceremony was once attended by scores of surviving Dec. 7 veterans. Fewer than two dozen remain living.
The pair were joined by only six other World War II veterans.
“This was a tough year here at Pearl Harbor, as we reached a milestone we all knew was coming but had hoped would never arrive,” Tom Leatherman, superintendent of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, told the audience.
In April, Lou Conter died at his California home at age 102.
He had been among the 335 sailors and Marines who survived the destruction of the USS Arizona, which claimed the lives of 1,177 crew members after Japanese planes dropped armor-piercing bombs on the battleship as it was moored in the harbor.
The remains of more than 900 sailors and Marines remain entombed in the ship, which is now part of the USS Arizona Memorial.
Overall, the Dec. 7 attack killed 2,335 service members and 68 civilians on Oahu.
Although no living crew members of the Arizona remain, the legacy of the ship and crew were central to this 83rd commemoration carrying the theme “Forging Ahead.”
The keynote speaker, Nikki Stratton, is the granddaughter of Arizona survivor Donald Stratton, who died in 2020 at age 97.
“It is a privilege to stand before you today as a member of the Stratton family, a family whose story is forever entwined with the legacy of Pearl Harbor and the enduring spirit of the USS Arizona on Dec. 7, 1941,” said Nikki Stratton, who lives in Denver.
Nikki Stratton, granddaughter of USS Arizona survivor Donald Stratton, who died in 2020, delivers the keynote address at the 83rd commemoration of the 1941 attack at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii, Dec. 7, 2024. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)
Stratton will be the sponsor of a Virginia-class attack submarine to be christened USS Arizona, the first Navy vessel to carry that name since the battleship was lost in 1941.
The sub is under construction in Groton, Conn., and expected to be completed by 2028.
“My grandfather, Donald Stratton, faced unimaginable adversity aboard the Arizona,” she said. “His survival was a testament to the grit, compassion and loyalty of those who fought beside him and risked everything to save others.
“Today, as we look toward the future with the commissioning of the USS Arizona, SSN-803, we honor that same determination — the belief that we can do hard things, whether overcoming great tragedy, carrying forward cherished legacies or embracing the joy of remembrance and progress.”
Last December, Conter’s nephew, Marine Corps Capt. Ray Daniel Hower, focused on the legacy left by the veterans who survived the attack during his keynote address.
Victory in World War II was not preordained nor an accident, U.S. Pacific Fleet’s commander, Adm. Stephen Koehler, told the audience.
“It happened because our greatest generation responded to the attack on Pearl Harbor with tenacity,” he said. “They set standards for excellence to which we strive to emulate today.”
