Ira 'Ike' Schab, One of Last Pearl Harbor Survivors, Dies at 105

A former Navy sailor who survived the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has died at age 105, one of the last known survivors of the surprise bombing that drew the United States into World War II.

Ira “Ike” Schab died at his Beaverton, Oregon, home early Saturday with his daughter Kimberlee Heinrichs and her husband at his side, according to Heinrichs, who spoke with The Associated Press. With Schab’s passing, only about a dozen Pearl Harbor survivors remain, a dwindling number that highlights the enduring memory of a day that transformed American history. Schab’s family said he had made annual trips to the memorial site at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in recent years, determined to honor those who did not return.

Born on Independence Day in 1920 in Chicago, Schab was 21 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on a quiet Sunday morning. He was a tuba player in the USS Dobbin’s band and, as the attack unfolded, he was preparing to greet his brother, who was stationed at a nearby naval radio facility, when the call for fire rescue went out. “We were pretty startled. Startled and scared to death,” Schab recalled in a 2023 interview for Pacific Historic Parks. He rushed to the deck, then below, to grab boxes of ammunition and joined a daisy chain of sailors feeding shells to an anti-aircraft gun above. The Dobbin ferried through chaos as flames roared from ships on fire and the sound of bombing filled the air. Navy records show three sailors on his ship lost their lives, one killed in action and two later from fragment wounds sustained by a bomb strike near the stern.

Schab spent most of World War II in the Pacific theater, serving aboard ships and traveling to the New Hebrides—now known as Vanuatu—followed by the Mariana Islands and Okinawa, Japan. After the war, he studied aerospace engineering and went on to work as an electrical engineer for General Dynamics, contributing to the Apollo spaceflight program that helped send astronauts to the moon. His son followed in his footsteps into the Navy and rose to the rank of commander before retiring.

In a 2022 Pearl Harbor remembrance, Schab called for honoring those who served at the base a day that remains a defining moment in American history. “Remember what they’re here for. Remember and honor those that are left. They did a hell of a job,” he said. “Those who are still here, dead or alive.” By last year’s observance, Schab had built up the strength to stand and salute, though this year he was not well enough to attend, and the trip to Hawaii ultimately did not take place as his health declined.

Schab’s life bridged historic war memory and the technological advances that followed. The Dobbin’s crew, including Schab, faced the immediate crisis of the attack as Japanese aircraft rained fire on Pearl Harbor. The experience, which occurred on a day that began as a peaceful Sunday, stayed with him for decades, even as he pursued a career that helped humans reach beyond Earth.

Beyond his wartime service, Schab remained engaged with the remembrance community and with the younger generations who learn about Pearl Harbor through ceremonies and educational programs. He spoke at ceremonies in Hawaii and Oregon over the years, urging people to remember the sacrifices of those who served and to recognize the cost of war and the importance of peace. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by extended family; his son’s military career stands as a continuing family connection to service.

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, killed more than 2,400 Americans and damaged or destroyed dozens of ships and hundreds of aircraft. The event drew the United States into World War II and reshaped the course of 20th-century history. As time passes, the number of living survivors continues to shrink, underscoring the importance of preserving personal accounts that connect present generations with that defining moment.

Schab’s career contributions extended beyond his Navy service. After earning his degree in aerospace engineering, he contributed to the Apollo program as an electrical engineer with General Dynamics, helping lay groundwork for lunar missions that defined the space race era. His family noted that his commitment to service persisted throughout his life, with his son eventually attaining a high rank in the Navy and earning commendations for a long career in the service.

Schab’s death comes as communities across the United States continue to honor those who served at Pearl Harbor and reflect on how the war altered the nation’s trajectory. The surviving veterans—once numbering in the thousands—have become a precious but finite link to a day that reshaped the 20th century. As the roster of living survivors shrinks, historians and the families of veterans work to preserve accounts like Schab’s so future generations understand not only the battles fought but the personal courage displayed aboard ships, in air-raid shelters, and on the front lines of the Pacific.

Schab’s life stands as a testament to a generation that faced sudden, unprecedented danger and then helped propel the United States through a transformative era in both military and scientific achievement. His family said he maintained a quiet, steadfast commitment to those who served alongside him, and his final days were spent in the company of loved ones who remember his service and his insistence on honoring his compatriots. The death of a recent Pearl Harbor survivor underscores the urgency of safeguarding firsthand memories that illuminate how a single day in December 1941 reshaped a world at war.