In Memoriam: Pearl Harbor Survivors Lost in 2019

January 02, 2020
by Chris 

As the years move us ever further from the events of December 7, 1941, we find ourselves bidding farewell to more and more of the men who lived through the horrors of that day. The following is a list of the Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019.

Robert M. Bishop

August 22, 2019

Bishop served aboard USS Tennessee (BB-43) during the attack and took part in 13 major amphibious landing aboard the battleship. Bishop also served during the Korean Conflict, and was honorably discharged from the US Navy in March 1952.

Walter Borchert

December 14, 2019

Stationed aboard USS Worden (DD-352) during the Pearl Harbor attack, Borchert had a clear view of the assault when he climbed up from the destroyer's galley. Originally assuming he was seeing a drill, when it became evident that it was an actual attack, he sprang into action, but not before witnessing USS Arizona (BB-39) erupt into flames and sink.

Lauren Bruner

September 10, 1942

One of the last survivors of USS Arizona, Lauren Bruner was one of several survivors who fought to have Joe George, the man responsible for saving his life, honored for his actions. One of the most prominent Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019, Bruner became the last Arizona survivor to be buried within the sunken battleship. With his passing, only three survivors from USS Arizona remain.

John Busma

June 13, 2019

John Busma served aboard the repair ship USS Medusa (AR-1) during the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship wasn’t in the heart of the battle, but Busma witnessed the attack as Japanese planes bombed USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) and USS Raleigh (CL-7). After the call to battle stations, Busma was instead ordered to assist with getting the repair ship underway. Medusa suffered minor damage to her water pumps, which Busma had a hand in fixing.

Busma shared his experiences throughout the years, but he always returned to one of his happier memories during the War in the Pacific. On Christmas 1943, he met his wife of 74 years, Iris.

Prior to his passing, Busma was the oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor in Southern California.

Roy Carter

January 3, 2019

The first of the Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019, Roy Carter was recognized for his efforts to save eight of his fellow shipmates aboard USS Oklahoma (BB-37) during the Pearl Harbor attack, and was a candidate for the Medal of Honor for his actions at Pearl Harbor. Carter retired from the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Aaron Cook

August 3, 2019

One of Texas’ few remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, Cook was stationed at Naval Air Station Ford Island as a mess cook. He was in the administration building when the attack began. Cook went on to serve as a gunner as part of combat aircrews.

Lonnie Cook

July 31, 2019

Another of the more prominent Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019, Lonnie Cook was one of five remaining survivors of USS Arizona at the beginning of the year. He was assigned to USS Patterson (DD-392) for two months before being ordered to  USS Aylwin (DD-355). He took part in the Battle of Midway aboard Aylwin.

Ray Garland

April 18, 2019

Garland served aboard USS Tennessee, and suffered minor injuries during the attack. It only took him only three days to recuperate before he was back in service. Garland participated in the Aleutian, Marshall Islands, and Gilbert Islands campaigns. After serving in World War II, the Marines later recalled Garland for service in Korea, where he sustained additional injuries.

Bill Hayes

May 16, 2019

Hayes was stationed at Hickam Field’s Station Hospital for less than a month before the December 7, 1941 attack. He assisted the injured by applying tourniquets and carrying the wounded away from immediate danger. Later, Hayes completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned into the Medical Administrative Corps as a second lieutenant.

Clement Joseph Hauger, Jr.

May 7, 2019

Hauger elected to serve at Pearl Harbor instead of The Philippines just months before the December 7 attack. For decades, Hauger kept his experiences to himself, but he was able to recall the events of the Pearl Harbor attack in vivid detail when he did finally open up.

William Hendley

April 28, 2019

Hendley served aboard USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack and survived the ship’s sinking. He was saved by a chief petty officer who was unable to escape the capsizing ship. Hendley served in the ensuing war aboard USS Sway (AM-120) in the Mediterranean.

George Hursey

November 5, 2019

Hursey was one of Massachusetts’ last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors at the time of his passing. He served in the US Army during the attack, and fired on the Japanese planes that attacked the American fleet. He served in World War II primarily in the Pacific, including at the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Everett Hyland

July 23, 2019

Known to everyone as “Uncle” Everett, Hyland was a frequent visitor and volunteer at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, making him one of the best-known of the Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019. Hyland served aboard USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) at the time of the attack. When he realized there was nothing he could do at his battle station, he participated in collecting ammo for the anti-aircraft guns. Hyland suffered significant burns to his body, a chipped bone, lacerations, and bullet wounds, but ultimately survived and returned to service following a nine-month recovery.

Joseph Iscovitz

July 9, 2019

Iscovitz served in the Army Air Corps at Fort Shafter in Honolulu at the time of the assault on Pearl Harbor. Iscovitz kept his experiences at Pearl Harbor to himself until he was much older, as he felt it was those who died in the attack who were the real heroes. He remained in the military until 1958, and served in the Korean Conflict. Iscovitz participated in Pearl Harbor Survivors Association events, and returned to Oahu for the 60th anniversary ceremonies.

Dorwin F. Lamkin

March 17, 2019

Lamkin was the last known Kansas City-area Pearl Harbor survivor at the time of his passing. He served aboard USS Nevada (BB-360 as a corpsman. After the attack, joined the Navy lab school and served aboard USS San Francisco (CA-38) from 1943 to 1944. Lamkin participated in the battles of Tarawa, Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Attu.

George Larsen

December 16, 2019

In later life, Larsen became well-known as an award-winning TV camera operator, but before that, he was stationed at Pearl Harbor during the 1941 attack. Serving in the US Coast Guard, he witnessed the attack in horror, with little he could do to fight back.

Robert Lloyd

November 17, 2019

Lloyd originally wanted to join the Navy, but was enticed to join the Army Air Corps with an assignment in Honolulu. By 1941, he was at Hickam Field, next to Pearl Harbor. As December 7 dawned, he was awaiting the arrival of a squadron of B-17s, but instead found himself firing on Japanese attackers with anti-aircraft guns.

Wreaths at the Punchbowl National Cemetery

Milton Mapou

January 17, 2019

Milton Mapou was serving aboard USS Detroit (CL-8) during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He went on to fight in the Pacific Theater and was wounded during a kamikaze attack in Okinawa. He was discharged in 1946 due to his wounds. In later life, Mapou volunteered twice a week at the Motts Military Museum in Groveport, OH.

Patrick J. McIntyre

January 25, 2019

McIntyre was the last surviving member of the by-then-defunct Pearl Harbor Survivors Association of Memphis at the time of his passing. He arrived at Pearl Harbor when he was just 18 years old, and served with the US Navy for 29 years before working with the FAA and Department of Transportation. McIntyre joined the Memphis chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and remained part of it until it disbanded in 2011.

Leo McLarney

March 24, 2019

McLarney lived through the events of Pearl Harbor and went on to serve in the War in the Pacific, including at Guadalcanal.

Paul Moore

September 18, 2019

Moore served aboard USS West Virginia (BB-48) during Pearl Harbor as a Fire Controlman First Class. After the war, Moore regularly attended annual remembrance ceremonies at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek and became a well-known member of the Pearl Harbor survivor community. At the time of his passing, he was the last Pearl Harbor survivor in Hampton Roads, VA.

Victor Paradis

February 18, 2019

Along with surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, Paradis took part in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, and fought at the Battle of Midway. He survived kamikaze attacks and deadly battles including at Guadalcanal, Okinawa, and Bougainville. He was aboard USS Northampton (CA-26) when she was sunk in 1942. Paradis spent the rest of the war aboard USS Wadsworth (DD-516). He became an active member of the Pearl Harbor survivor community later in life, when he was more comfortable sharing his stories of the attack.

Al Rodrigues, Sr.

February 24, 2019

A native of the Hawaiian island of Kauai, “Uncle Al” Rodrigues frequently came to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial to share his story with visitors. On the morning of the Pearl Harbor attack, Rodrigues was serving at Station Base Bishop Point as a Chief Storekeeper, and from there he witnessed USS Ward (DD-139) sink a Japanese mini-submarine. His memoir, Diary of a Pearl Harbor Survivor, details his experiences during the attack. In 2018, Rodrigues was honored by the Department of Veterans Affairs as its “Veteran of the Day.”

Wetzel Sanders

August 18, 2019

Sanders was assigned to an anti-aircraft post on the morning of December 7, 1941. When the attack began, he was driving a truckload of soldiers to Pearl Harbor to take part in previously-scheduled maneuvers. Due to a military mix-up, Sanders didn't receive a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds he received during the attack until 2017. Before his passing, he served as the state chairman of the West Virginia Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. He is thought to have been West Virginia's last Pearl Harbor survivor at the time of his passing.

Joe Walsh

December 21, 2019

Believed to be the last of the Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019—and one of the last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors in the San Diego area—Joe Walsh dedicated much of his life to immortalizing the memory of Pearl Harbor. After surviving the devastating attack and fighting throughout the Pacific, the retired Marine co-founded Chapter 31 of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.

Jerry Winslow

March 9, 2019

Winslow was serving at Fort Kamehameha with the 41st Coastal Artillery, Company D when the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor. After the planes departed, he spent the day erecting barbed-wire fences along Waikiki in the event of a follow-up attack or invasion. Winslow was later sent to Officers Training School, and was stationed in The Philippines.

Robert Winslow

February 21, 2019

Robert Winslow served aboard USS Helm (DD-388), the only ship that was underway when the attack began. Winslow remained in the Navy for the duration of the war, and was discharged in 1946. He rarely took part in reunions, stating “I’m not for celebrating these kinds of things.” He was one of three Pearl Harbor survivors in Nebraska at the time of his passing.

Note: We've done our best to account for all of the Pearl Harbor survivors lost in 2019. If you know of anyone we missed, please let us know in the Comments.

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