The oldest survivor of the Pearl Harbor assault amid World Battle II has died on the age of 105.
Warren Upton at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, on Wednesday after battling pneumonia, in line with the state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, Kathleen Farley.
‘It’s with profound disappointment that we announce the passing of Pearl Harbor Survivor Warren “Purple” Upton, the final residing survivor of the USS Utah,’ said Pacific Historic Parks on Fb on Thursday.
Upton, who was serving as a radioman aboard the USS Utah battleship in Oahu, was about to shave when a Japanese torpedo struck it early on December 7, 1941.
The vessel shook and nobody knew what it was, but it surely began to capsize after one other torpedo struck.
Upton, then 22 years previous, swam to Ford Island and hid in a trench to cover from Japanese plane overhead.
‘Alongside the way in which, he helped one other shipmate who couldn’t swim,’ said Pacific Historic Parks.
A half hour later, he was rescued by a truck.
Many shipmates weren’t capable of escape the vessel because it overturned and 58 died that day.
After the assault, which drew the US into World Battle II, Upton saved working as a radioman all through the battle.
The survivor opened up in regards to the ordeal in 2020, when solely three Utah crew members together with himself have been nonetheless alive. Upton mentioned it didn’t trouble him to speak in regards to the devastating day, however that it upset him to lose shipmates because the years handed.
‘As soon as it was over, he returned residence, married, and had a household,’ said Pacific Historic Parks.
Upton’s spouse, a former Navy nurse named Gene, died in 2018.
There have been about 87,000 army members in Oahu that day, per historian J Michael Wenger. Solely 15 stay alive.
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