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Only 2 crew members from USS Arizona are still alive
Posted on 2/17/20 at 2:17 pm
Posted on 2/17/20 at 2:17 pm
Pearl Harbor survivor, USS Arizona crew member dies at 97
One of three remaining USS Arizona crew members who survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has died.
The National Park Service confirmed the death of 97-year-old Donald Stratton on Sunday. The agency said the flag over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii would be flown at half-staff "in honor of his life and service" Monday.
Stratton grew up in Nebraska and joined the U.S. Navy in 1940. The USS Arizona was his first ship, the National Park Service said.
The battleship was hit by Japanese torpedo bombers during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, followed by the United States' entry into World War II the next day. A total of 2,390 American service members and civilians were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, including 1,177 crew members on board the USS Arizona, according to the National Park Service's website.
Stratton was among the 334 crew members who survived the battleship sinking. He was with five other crew members in the ship's burning forward mast and was saved when a sailor from the USS Vestal threw them a line, according to the National Park Service.
"He crawled hand over hand, high above the water to safety, being burned over 70% of his body," the National Park Service wrote in its Facebook post.
Despite his injuries, Stratton re-enlisted and served out the war until he was discharged in December 1946 at the rank of Gunners Mate Second Class, the National Park Service said.
In 2016, Stratton published a memoir called "All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor." The book, an eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack, became a New York Times bestseller.
The veteran's death makes Lou Conter and Ken Potts the last living members of the USS Arizona crew.
Stratton's son told The Associated Press that he died in his sleep at his home in Colorado Springs on Saturday, surrounded by family.
"He was a very humble, very quiet hero," Randy Stratton said. “He didn't want or seek the attention he received.”
One of three remaining USS Arizona crew members who survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has died.
The National Park Service confirmed the death of 97-year-old Donald Stratton on Sunday. The agency said the flag over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii would be flown at half-staff "in honor of his life and service" Monday.
Stratton grew up in Nebraska and joined the U.S. Navy in 1940. The USS Arizona was his first ship, the National Park Service said.
The battleship was hit by Japanese torpedo bombers during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, followed by the United States' entry into World War II the next day. A total of 2,390 American service members and civilians were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor, including 1,177 crew members on board the USS Arizona, according to the National Park Service's website.
Stratton was among the 334 crew members who survived the battleship sinking. He was with five other crew members in the ship's burning forward mast and was saved when a sailor from the USS Vestal threw them a line, according to the National Park Service.
"He crawled hand over hand, high above the water to safety, being burned over 70% of his body," the National Park Service wrote in its Facebook post.
Despite his injuries, Stratton re-enlisted and served out the war until he was discharged in December 1946 at the rank of Gunners Mate Second Class, the National Park Service said.
In 2016, Stratton published a memoir called "All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor." The book, an eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack, became a New York Times bestseller.
The veteran's death makes Lou Conter and Ken Potts the last living members of the USS Arizona crew.
Stratton's son told The Associated Press that he died in his sleep at his home in Colorado Springs on Saturday, surrounded by family.
"He was a very humble, very quiet hero," Randy Stratton said. “He didn't want or seek the attention he received.”
This post was edited on 2/17/20 at 2:18 pm
Posted on 2/17/20 at 2:23 pm to lsuman25
He was a better man than most!!
Posted on 2/17/20 at 2:55 pm to lsuman25
Fair winds and following seas, Sailor. RIP to a great American.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 2:57 pm to weaveballs1
"He was a very humble, very quiet hero," Randy Stratton said.
Weren't they all?
RIP American Hero.
Weren't they all?
RIP American Hero.
This post was edited on 2/17/20 at 2:58 pm
Posted on 2/17/20 at 3:50 pm to lsuman25
Real American Hero. God bless you sir !!!!
Posted on 2/17/20 at 4:00 pm to lsuman25
quote:
The National Park Service confirmed the death of 97-year-old Donald Stratton on Sunday. The agency said the flag over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii would be flown at half-staff "in honor of his life and service" Monday.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 4:02 pm to ronk
quote:
He was a better man than most!!
That entire generation is the GOAT.
Got chills reading that. Made think of my grandfather who served in the Southern Pacific during WWII.
God Bless these men and their families.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 6:08 pm to lsuman25
quote:
"He crawled hand over hand, high above the water to safety, being burned over 70% of his body," the National Park Service wrote in its Facebook post.
Despite his injuries, Stratton re-enlisted and served out the war until he was discharged in December 1946
That is a true badass.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 7:02 pm to lsuman25
Unbelievable stories of the greatest generation. Imagine these sissy boys today if we had to trust them to defend our nation. They would be like my dog, roll over, pee the floor and let the enemy in the house without even putting up a fight.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 7:08 pm to lsuman25
<—— Has a second cousin once removed still aboard the USS Arizona.
Posted on 2/17/20 at 7:21 pm to lsuman25
Dying in your sleep at 97 is the way to go.
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