Another of the handful of remaining survivors of the Japanese attack on the USS Arizona is gone.
Raymond Haerry, 94, died Sept. 27 in West Warwick, R.I., according to the Arizona Republic. Daniel Martinez, chief historian of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, confirmed the death.
Haerry, then 19 years old, was blown off the battleship into Pearl Harbor when a Japanese armor-piercing bomb smashed through its bow on Dec. 7, 1941.
The 1,760-pound bomb ignited the ship’s powder magazines and fuel stores in a roaring fireball that scorched and killed crew members and instantly separated most of the bow from the ship. The Arizona lost 1,177 crew members.
With Haerry’s loss, the number of Arizona survivors can be counted on one hand — just five.
Martinez said Haerry’s death “is part of the historical treasure that is in some ways lost” from the attack.
“A lot of their memories have been recorded,” Martinez said Thursday, “but it’s just the fact that you can see (survivors) and they can still bear witness to what their experience was, and anytime (a death) happens it starts to in some ways erode the memory of World War II.”
On Dec. 7, 1941, Haerry ran to an anti-aircraft gun and saw Japanese planes strafing the Arizona when he felt the entire ship seemingly rise out of the water before the blast blew him overboard, the Providence Journal reported.
He swam though burning diesel fuel and charred bodies and, once on land, found a .50-caliber machine gun and began firing at enemy planes, the newspaper said.
In April, Haerry was staying at an assisted-living center in Rhode Island.
He was not expected to return to Pearl Harbor for the upcoming 75th anniversary of the attack because of his poor health. But the other survivors are expected to make the trip.
The five Arizona survivors are Lauren Bruner, Lou Conter, Lonnie Cook, Ken Potts and Don Stratton.
A total of 1,512 officers, sailors and Marines were assigned to the Arizona. Only 335 survived, according to the National Park Service. Many of the survivors were aboard the battleship during the attack. Others were on liberty or assigned to shore duty.
Arizona survivor Clarendon “Clare” Hetrick died at age 92 in April. Another crew member, John Anderson, died in November at 98.
“We’re down to five survivors. … This 75th, they are going to return, (but) it’s going to be the last salute, I think,” Martinez said.
The 75th Commemoration of Pearl Harbor Committee is organizing 11 days of events to honor the “greatest generation” of heroes from the day of infamy. Martinez said the expectation is that 65 to 100 attack survivors will be in Hawaii for the commemoration.