Witness to the Pearl Harbor attack dies at age 102.

Lou Conter was a 20-year-old logistics officer on the USS Arizona at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 - Photo: US NAVY

According to AFP, on December 7, 1941, quartermaster Lou Conter participated in rescuing his comrades after the U.S. Pacific Fleet was unexpectedly attacked by Japanese forces.

This attack damaged or destroyed most of the fleet stationed at the Hawaii naval base and resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Americans. The attack on Pearl Harbor led to the United States' entry into World War II.

More than 1,100 people on board the USS Arizona died. Many of their bodies are still inside the wreck, according to AFP.

Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks, a non-profit organization that honors those who died in the Pearl Harbor attack, said of Lou Conter's passing: "This is a heartbreaking loss."

Pacific Historic Parks announced that Mr. Conter passed away at his home in Grass Valley, California, surrounded by loved ones.

"Lou Conter is the epitome of the greatest of generations of Americans whose courage, achievements, and sacrifices have saved our nation from tyranny."

"He had an exemplary career in the U.S. Navy and consistently urged schools, parents, and the American people to always remember Pearl Harbor," Utterdyke said.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Conter became a pilot and participated in World War II. His plane was shot down twice, including once off the coast of New Guinea, in shark-infested waters.

As an intelligence officer, he undertook combat missions in Korea and created the U.S. Navy's first SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resist, and Escape) program.

He also served as a military advisor to several U.S. presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Johnson.

NH (according to Tuoi Tre newspaper)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/chung-nhan-tran-tran-chau-cang-qua-doi-o-tuoi-102-377519.html