Ira “Ike” Schab, a distinguished veteran of the United States Navy and one of the few remaining survivors of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, has passed away at the venerable age of 105. Schab’s daughter, Kimberlee Heinrichs, confirmed to The Associated Press that he died peacefully at home on Saturday, with her and her husband by his side.
The loss of Schab marks another poignant moment as the number of Pearl Harbor survivors dwindles. Today, there are only about a dozen left who witnessed the surprise assault that claimed the lives of over 2,400 military personnel and plunged the United States into the throes of World War II.
In 1941, Schab was a young sailor, just 21 years old, when the attack occurred. For much of his life, he seldom spoke of that harrowing day. However, as he grew older and the circle of survivors became smaller, Schab felt a compelling duty to share his story and honor those who had fallen. From his home in Beaverton, Oregon, he made it a priority to attend the annual remembrance ceremonies at Pearl Harbor.
“To pay honor to the guys that didn’t make it,” Schab expressed in 2023, emphasizing the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by his comrades. His journey from silence to advocacy serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of those who lived through one of the most pivotal moments in history.
But in recent years, aware that the corps of survivors was dwindling, the centenarian made a point of traveling from his home in Beaverton, Oregon, to the annual observance at the Hawaii military base.
“To pay honor to the guys that didn’t make it,” he said in 2023.
For last year’s commemoration, Schab spent weeks building up the strength to be able to stand and salute.
But this year he did not feel well enough to attend, and less than three weeks later, he passed away.
Born on Independence Day in 1920 in Chicago, Schab was the eldest of three brothers.
He joined the Navy at 18, following in the footsteps of his father, he said in a February interview for Pacific Historic Parks.
On what began as a peaceful Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Schab, who played the tuba in the USS Dobbin’s band, was expecting a visit from his brother, a fellow service member assigned to a nearby naval radio station. Schab had just showered and donned a clean uniform when he heard a call for fire rescue.
He went topside and saw another ship, the USS Utah, capsizing. Japanese planes roared through the air.
“We were pretty startled. Startled and scared to death,” Schab recalled in 2023. “We didn’t know what to expect, and we knew that if anything happened to us, that would be it.”
He scurried back below deck to grab boxes of ammunition and joined a daisy chain of sailors feeding shells to an anti-aircraft gun above.
His ship lost three sailors, according to Navy records. One was killed in action, and two died later of fragment wounds from a bomb that struck the stern. All had been manning an anti-aircraft gun.
Schab spent most of the war with the Navy in the Pacific, going to the New Hebrides, now known as Vanuatu, and then the Mariana Islands and Okinawa, Japan.
After the war he studied aerospace engineering and worked on the Apollo spaceflight program as an electrical engineer for General Dynamics, helping send astronauts to the moon.
Schab’s son also joined the Navy and is a retired commander.
Speaking at a 2022 ceremony, Schab asked people to honor those who served at Pearl Harbor.
“Remember what they’re here for. Remember and honor those that are left. They did a hell of a job,” he said. “Those who are still here, dead or alive.”
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