Who are the Pearl Harbor survivors living today? Dec 7, 1941, bombing survivors skip Remembrance Day due to advanced age

This year's Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony took place without any of the 12 survivors, all centenarians, in attendance for the first time in 84 years, per CNN.

"The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don’t know — it hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe," said Kimbeelee Heinrichs, whose father, Ira "Ike" Schab, one of the last survivors, was supposed to attend but became sick.

Sadly, this is the first year at the commemoration ceremony at Pearl Harbor that no Pearl Harbor survivor has attended. We have lost so many over the past few years and as few as 12 remain living today. From one generation to the next. Remember Pearl Harbor. Remember those lost.… pic.twitter.com/8Oxegt9qHF

— USS Arizona (@USSArizona) December 7, 2025

Survivors have been present at the ceremony every year, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with around 2,000 survivors attending the 50th anniversary event in 1991 and only two attending the last year, Ira Schab and Ken Stevens.

According to Stars and Stripes, Stevens, who died at 102 last year, was 19 years old at the time and was the one to witness the first bombs dropping on Pearl Harbour during the attack.

His passing was announced in a Facebook post by Pacific Historic Parks on March 21.

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that Pearl Harbor survivor Ken Stevens died on Thursday, March 20th. He was two months shy of turning 103."

His son, in a statement, told the organisation:

"My dad passed away peacefully this evening with all of us by his side. He was a fighter to the end but finally just ran out of gas."

Last year, Schab expressed pride in being able to physically stand up during last year's ceremony.

"I was honored to do it. I'm glad I was capable of standing up. I’m getting old, you know," he told the Associated Press.

In similar news, Vaughn P. Drake Jr., who was known to be the oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, passed away this year at 106.

"To us, he was more than a hero. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather and a humble man who lived with integrity every single day," his son Samuel Drake said in a statement.

Although there is no official list of the surviving veterans from the Pearl Harbor attack, Kathleen Farley, the president of the California chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, has kept a tally over the years, per Stars and Stripes.

According to Farley's records, only 12 veterans are still alive.

More about the 2025 Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony

December 7, 1941: A date which will live in infamy.

84 years ago, the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II, forever changing our Navy and nation.

Today we remember the heroism and sacrifice of those lost on that fateful day. Their courage echoes… pic.twitter.com/YQd9w9KxKD

— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) December 7, 2025

The ceremony held at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii began with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the Japanese began the attack on December 7, 1941.

According to Stars and Stripes, the theme for this year's 84th anniversary was Building Pathways to Peace.

Speakers discussed how future generations will continue to preserve history and values even though almost all people who fought in World War II have passed away.

Following a moment of silence, fighter jets flew in a "missing man formation" then, in a shift from tradition, active-duty military members, instead of survivors, placed the wreaths to honour the dead.

Afterwards, the survivors stood to salute the active-duty sailors, who in return, saluted the survivors as their ship passed the USS Arizona Memorial, per CNN.

"With this commemoration we recognize the importance of remembering the moment in the past when the prospects for peace were shattered and our nation was plunged into global war," David Ono, the event's master of ceremonies, said.

Addressing the younger generation during the ceremony, Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, a retired Army major general, said:

"It is now your turn, young people, to build bridges of understanding, to choose peace over division, to carry forward the spirit of aloha into a new century, because the story of Pearl Harbor is not finished. It continues with each and every one of you."

Around 2,403 Americans were killed during the attack, which propelled the US into World War 2.