The oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor dies at 105

Source: CNN US

Updated 8:30 PM EST, Sat December 28, 2024


CNN — Warren “Red” Upton, a 105-year-old World War II US veteran who was the oldest living survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, died on Christmas Day, according to his family and the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, a veteran’s organization.

Upton was a “very humble, gentle, soft-spoken man,” who was “well-read and well-informed with current affairs,” Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, told CNN. “Warren never considered himself a hero,” Farley said. “He said: ‘A lot of people would consider the survivors of Pearl Harbor “heroes,” but if you ask anybody, the real heroes are the ones who never made it home,’” Farley recalled.

Upton passed away at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, early Wednesday morning, after suffering a bout of pneumonia for several days, said Farley, who said she’s been in constant contact with the veteran’s family. Barbara Upton, 57, told CNN she and her brother were with their father in the hospital at the time of his death. “He was a very good and humble man, and a little bit shy,” Upton’s daughter said. “He and my mom have always taught us good values.”

Upton was also the last surviving crew member of the battleship USS Utah, one of the seven ships sunk during the attack on December 7, 1941, according to Farley. With his death, there are 15 survivors of Pearl Harbor that are known to still be alive, Farley said, adding there were 87,000 military personnel on Oahu on the day of the attack.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/28/us/warren-red-upton-dies-pearl-harbor-survivor/index.html