WWII Navy veteran Ira ‘Ike’ Schab, one of last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, dies at 105

The Associated Press
December 20, 2025, 7:36 PM

World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab, one of the dwindling number of survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, has died. He was 105. ... Daughter Kimberlee Heinrichs told The Associated Press that Schab died at home early Saturday in the presence of her and her husband.

With his passing, there remain only about a dozen survivors of the surprise attack, which killed just over 2,400 troops and propelled the United States into the war.

Schab was a sailor of just 21 at the time of the attack, and for decades he rarely spoke about the experience. ... 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.

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