Lou Conter, the last survivor of the USS Arizonaboat that sank after the Japanese attack on the United States’ Pearl Harbor base, passed away at the age of 102 this Monday (1st), according to the charity that honors the victims of the bombing.
Conter was a 20-year-old officer when he helped rescue his Navy colleagues on December 7, 1941, after the US Pacific fleet was the target of the surprise attack. About 2,000 Americans died, and the Hawaiian naval base was destroyed.
More than 1,100 people aboard the USS Arizona have died. Many of the bodies are still inside the sunken vessel.
The bombing pushed the US into World War II.
Pilot, Lou was shot down twice
Conter became a pilot in World War II and was shot down twice, including off the coast of New Guinea, where he and his crew came ashore in shark-filled waters.
As an intelligence officer, he flew combat missions in Korea and created the Navy’s first SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Extraction) program, which teaches how to survive and “return with honor” in survival scenarios.
In addition, he was a military advisor to three presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks, the nonprofit that honors those killed in the attack, said it is a heartbreaking loss. “Lou Conter personified what it meant to be part of the Greatest Generation, Americans whose collective valor, achievements and sacrifices saved our country from tyranny.”
According to her, Lou had an exemplary career in the Navy and was steadfast “in asking schools, parents and ordinary Americans to always remember Pearl Harbor.”
Pacific Historic Parks said Conter died at his home in Grass Valley, California.
Tags: World War survivor ship sunk Japan attack Pearl Harbor dies age USA World
