As Pearl Harbor survivors age, their children continue legacy

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Just over two dozen survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor are estimated to still be alive, and of those, only a handful are expected to physically be at the scene of the Japanese bombing on Thursday to commemorate those who died in 1941. 

About 2,400 U.S. military personnel and civilians were killed in the bombing, which launched the U.S. into World War II. The USS Arizona alone lost 1,177 sailors and Marines, nearly half the death toll. Most of the Arizona’s fallen remained entombed in the ship, which sits on the harbor floor.

Each year on Dec. 7, many travel to Hawaii – including the aging survivors, veterans, and civilians from around the world – to honor those killed and injured in the attack.

This year, just six Pearl Harbor survivors planned to be in attendance to mark the 82nd anniversary of the attack, according to Kathleen Farley, the California chapter president of Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.

The centenarian survivors will make the journey from states like Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nevada.

Farley tracks the Pearl Harbor survivors still living, and said she has verified 26 people across the country, with the majority of them "well over 100 years of age."

Ken Potts, one of the last two remaining survivors of the USS Arizona battleship, died earlier this year at 102. Lou Conter, who lives in California, is now the last living survivor of the attack on the USS Arizona.

Conter, 102, enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was stationed aboard the USS Arizona on the morning of Dec. 7. He was one of only 334 crew members from the ship to survive.

Conter went on to serve 28 years on active duty, fight in three wars, and serve as an aide to Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson. 

"I’m not a hero. My fellow crewmates who didn’t make it out alive are the heroes.  I’ll never forget them," Conter said earlier this year upon being honored by Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom.

The youngest Pearl Harbor survivor still alive is estimated to be around 99, according to Farley, who also serves as the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors district director of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, as well as the California state chair.

Farley’s late father, John J. Farley, was aboard the USS California on the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

"The reason why he survived was, he knew how to swim," Farley told FOX Television Stations. "He dove into the fire waters as the USS California was hit."

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association was formed in 1958 by a group of survivors in California, who later held a convention at Disneyland with over 300 attending, according to Farley. The first ceremony at Pearl Harbor was held in 1966 to mark the 25th anniversary of the attack. 

Farley’s father attended the 50th anniversary of the attack in 1991, and again every five years until his death in 2007. She has attended the ceremony each year since the 70th anniversary in 2011. 

"These guys didn't talk about their experiences at Pearl as they knew no one would understand what they went through," Kathleen Farley said. 

The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association disbanded in 2011, which was the 70th anniversary of the attack, due to the ages and health of its members. Now, the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors aims to keep the memories of Pearl Harbor military personnel alive.

For the handful of survivors who are still able to travel, Farley highlighted the importance of physically being there on the anniversary. 

"Survivors that return to Pearl for an anniversary go for those who were killed on 7 December 1941," Farley said. "They are the voices of those who can't speak."

This story was reported from Cincinnati.