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Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies

by thebesig••16

Ray Chavez passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday morning. He was 106 years old. Other veteran survivors, of the Pearl Harbor attack, recognized him as the eldest among them. He was a Navy veteran.

As the oldest survivor, he was a natural choice when it came to veteran representation. He has been a White House guest, as well as a grand marshal for local parades. Additionally, he has been at events in California and in Hawaii.

On the morning of the attacks, his ship spotted the periscope of a Japanese submarine. They sunk it. From the San Francisco Chronical:

At 3:45 a.m. Dec. 7, 1941, Seaman 1st Class Chavez’s crew was sweeping the east entrance to the harbor when they spotted the periscope of a Japanese midget submarine. After depth charges were dropped to sink the sub in 1,500 feet of water, the rest of the morning passed uneventfully.

After he served in the military, he proudly continued on with other professions. After tragically losing family members to a car accident, he adopted a young girl who would end up being his caretaker later in life.

According to his daughter, he didn’t speak about his role in World War II until the 1990s. She ended up following in his footsteps, becoming the Navy’s first female jet engine mechanic:

She, too, served in the Navy, from 1974 to 1991, and was recognized as the Navy’s first woman jet engine mechanic.

You could read more here:

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16 thoughts on “Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies”

  4. May you rest in peace good sir, you are truly one of the greatest generation! Fair winds and following seas!

  6. He joined the Naval Reserve in 1938 and left service in 1945. He was not on the water when the Japanese attacked but was off base when the attack began. He hurriedly got dressed and hitched a ride to the water, where he spent the next nine days doing whatever needed done. He was in for the duration and later reported that he never made his emotional trauma part of the record for fear that it would jeopardize job opportunities. Eventually he started his own landscaping business and quit working at the tender age of 96. God rest his soul.

  8. Crazy to think about all that someone who lives so long has seen. He was 30 when the Japanese attack happened. He lived through two world wars, the depression, the cold war, the space race, the jet age, and took a ride on the information superhighway (inventor Al Gore naturally). He lived in incredibly interesting times.

    Rest thee well Seaman Chavez. Save a place for this land lover in Valhalla.

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