(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Marking the end of an era for American patriots, the last surviving USS Utah crew member from Pearl Harbor has passed away at 105.
Warren Upton’s death serves as a reminder of the Greatest Generation’s sacrifices and the need to preserve their legacy.
Upton died in Los Gatos, California, shortly after the 83rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
He was the oldest living eyewitness to the infamous Japanese attack that thrust America into World War II.
At just 22 years old, Upton displayed the courage and quick thinking that exemplified the American spirit during that fateful morning on December 7, 1941.
As a petty officer aboard the USS Utah, he narrowly escaped death when Japanese torpedoes struck the battleship, causing it to capsize quickly.
“It was quite an inferno […] they were strafing us still,” Upton recalled in a 2021 interview. “I went over the side then and slid down the side of the ship as she rolled over.”
Upton’s heroic actions did not end with his own survival. After swimming to Ford Island, he assisted another sailor to safety before taking cover in a trench to avoid the ongoing Japanese air assault.
The USS Utah’s sinking claimed the lives of 58 brave American sailors, part of the 2,403 total casualties at Pearl Harbor.
Upton’s death leaves only 15 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack out of the nearly 87,000 military personnel who were on Oahu that day.
“I was lucky enough to make it off the ship. I’m not going back,” he once mentioned, reflecting on his survival and the painful memories of lost shipmates.
Warren Upton’s legacy lives on beyond his naval service. After the war, he married former Navy nurse Jeanne and started a family.
He remained an active and proud USS Utah and Pearl Harbor survivor communities member.
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