Last living 生存者 on board of USS Arizona during Pearl Harbor attack dies at age 102 - as only 20 people at the WWII surprise blitz remain alive

• e-mail

The last living 生存者 of the USS Arizona, a 戦艦? sunk in the Japanese 爆破 of Pearl Harbor, has died 老年の 102.

Lou Conter passed away on Monday at his home in Grass Valley, California, after 複雑化s with congestive heart 失敗, his daughter Louann Daley said.?

He was just 18 when he enlisted in the U.S. 海軍 and was a quartermaster who stood on the main deck of the Arizona when Japanese 計画（する）s flew over and attacked on December 7, 1941.?

'I said, "Ok, I'll 調印する up", so I 調印するd up for four years, I was going to leave at 5:45 that night,' Conter told KCRA.??

The 強襲，強姦, which 開始する，打ち上げるd the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs into World War II, destroyed most of the (n)艦隊／(a)素早い 駅／配置するd at the Hawaii 海軍の base and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Americans.

Around 20 people who were at the surprise attack remain alive today.?

Lou Conter, he last living 生存者 of the USS Arizona that was attacked in 1941 by Japan, died on Monday at 102 予定 to 複雑化s with?congestive heart 失敗

The 強襲，強姦, which 開始する，打ち上げるd the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs into World War II , destroyed most of the (n)艦隊／(a)素早い 駅／配置するd at the Hawaii 海軍の base and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 Americans

He was just 18 when he enlisted in the U.S. 海軍 and was a quartermaster who stood on the main deck of the Arizona when Japanese 計画（する）s flew over on December 7, 1941

Conter 解任するd the very moment the 爆弾 攻撃する，衝突する the steel decks and 始める，決める off more than 1million 続けざまに猛撃するs of gunpowder that was 蓄える／店d below.?

'Guys were running out of the 解雇する／砲火／射撃 and trying to jump over the 味方するs,' Conter said. 'Oil all over the sea was 燃やすing.'?

In December, Conter, who 手配中の，お尋ね者 to …に出席する the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day?儀式 in Hawaii, decided not to so he could 保存する his health.?

At a previous event in 2021, Conter said:?'I was 船内に the USS Arizona that morning and 証言，証人／目撃するd the awful 破壊 that occurred.'??

'I was 感謝する to have 生き残るd and to have had the 適切な時期 to serve throughout World War II.'

'It is a 広大な／多数の／重要な 栄誉（を受ける） to 認める the men and women who were a part of this history. And 特に those who didn't get to see the 遺産／遺物 they would leave behind.'

'Before I finish this I want to say, of the 2,403 servicemen that fell that day, 1,177 of my shipmates 船内に the USS Arizona, God bless you. Today remains behind to those men.'

'A lot of people call us heroes, but we're really not heroes. The ones who gave everything, their lives, are the heroes.'

Other 生存者s who did …に出席する the 儀式?returned to the scene of Pearl Harbor together.?

The 記念の was held on a field across the harbor from the USS Arizona 記念の, a white structure that sits above the rusting 船体 of the 戦艦, which 爆発するd in a fireball and sank すぐに after 存在 攻撃する，衝突する.?

Though 80 years had passed, Conter vividly remembered what took place that 悲劇の day.?

Conter is seen at the 75th?周年記念日 of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 2016

'As soon as they （機の）カム in, we knew what was happening,' he said.?

'We knew for six months we were training hard for fighting the Japanese at war. They were dive 爆破, and they were 権利 負かす／撃墜する the ship's 辛勝する／優位.'?

'We didn't have time to look up and see what was coming. They were already 権利 負かす／撃墜する at the water's 辛勝する／優位. It lasted for about 40 minutes. We took a 50-60-hundred-続けざまに猛撃する 爆弾 と一緒に the number two turret.'

He 追加するd that even though they tried to fight 支援する, 'there was no time to do anything.'?

'It happened so 急速な／放蕩な,' Conter said.?

He went on to 飛行機で行く 200 戦闘 使節団s in the 太平洋の with a '黒人／ボイコット Cats' 騎兵大隊, which directed dive 爆破 at night in 黒人／ボイコット-painted 計画（する）s.?

In 1943, he and his 乗組員 were 発射 負かす／撃墜する off the coast of New Guinea and landed? in shark-infested waters.

'Don’t ever panic in any 状況／情勢. 生き残る is the first thing you tell them. Don’t panic or you’re dead,” he said. They were 静かな and treaded water until another 計画（する） （機の）カム hours later and dropped them a lifeboat,' Conter 解任するd.?

As an 知能 officer, he flew 戦闘 使節団s in Korea and created the 海軍's first SERE (生き残り, 回避, 抵抗 and escape) program in the late 1950's.?

He was a 軍の 助言者 to 大統領s Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Though 80 years had passed, Conter vividly remembered what took place that 悲劇の day.?He said that even though he and his 乗組員 tried to fight 支援する, 'there was no time to d o anything'?

Conter is 始める，決める to be buried in Grass Valley, next to his late wife that he was married to for 45 years

He retired in 1967 after serving 28 years in the U.S. 海軍. (pictured: Conter looking at the 指名するs of the sailors who died in Pearl Harb or)?

He retired in 1967 after serving 28 years in the U.S. 海軍.??

Aileen Utterdyke, 大統領，／社長 and CEO of 太平洋の Historic Parks, a?非，不，無-利益（をあげる） that 栄誉（を受ける）s those who died in the attack, said that Conter's death 'is a heartbreaking loss.'?

'Lou Conter epitomized what it meant to be a member of the Greatest 世代, Americans whose 集団の／共同の courage, 業績／成就s and sacrifices saved our country from tyranny.'?

'He had an 模範的な career in the 海軍 and was 確固たる in imploring the schools, parents and everyday Americans to always remember Pearl Harbor.'?

Daley said in the months 主要な up to his 悲劇の death, her father had been getting 女性 and was in hospice care for the past four weeks.?

'I'm glad he's at peace. I'm glad he didn't 苦しむ. I know when he 移行d over, he had so many people there waiting for him- his wife Val, who he loves dearly,' Daley said.?

Before he passed, he told his family he loved them and thanked them for taking care of him.?

Conter is 始める，決める to be buried in Grass Valley, next to his late wife that he was married to for 45 years. His family said funeral 手はず／準備 are 存在 made and there will be a 儀式 with 軍の 栄誉（を受ける）s.?