Veterans observe 80th Pearl Harbor anniversary

More than 130 World War II veterans will congregate in Hawaii on Tuesday to remember the attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and their service in the war. Roughly 30 attendees were at Pearl Harbor when Japanese planes attacked. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, around 240,000 of the 16 million American service members from World War II are still alive.

Who are some of the veterans? U.S. Navy Seaman 1st Class David Russell escaped the USS Oklahoma right before it capsized but lost his brother on the ship. Russell, now 101, remained in the Navy until 1960. James Golding’s next-door neighbor died at Pearl Harbor, and the attack spurred the 17-year-old to enlist as a Navy seaman. Now 94, he hopes to find his friend’s grave on the island. U.S. Navy musician Ira “Ike” Schab Jr., 101, was on a docked ship that caught fire from the USS Arizona’s blast. This year, he required more caregivers than the veterans organization could afford, so his daughter set up a GoFundMe account. Within a week, strangers donated enough to provide three caregivers, allowing Schab to attend and conduct the Pacific Fleet Band on Monday.

Dig deeper: From the Saturday Series, read an excerpt from WORLD’s 2020 History Book of the Year, Tracy Campbell’s The Year of Peril: America in 1942.