NEED TO KNOW
- Ira “Ike” Schab, one of only about a dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor left, died at 105 on Dec. 20
- Schab made headlines in 2021 when his daughter raised money for him and his caretakers to visit Hawaii on the 80th anniversary of the attack
- Schab arrived in Hawaii aboard the USS Dobbin as a member of Navy Band Unit 13 a year before the attack that led the U.S. to enter World War II
One of the last remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack has died at 105.
Ira “Ike” Schab, a Navy veteran who served in World War II, died on Dec. 20, his daughter Kimberlee Heinrichs confirmed to the Associated Press. Schab’s death leaves only about a dozen survivors of the deadly attack who are still alive, the outlet reports. An estimated 2,400 troops were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which led to the U.S. officially entering World War II.
Born on July 4, 1920, in Chicago, Schab was the eldest of three brothers. He was only 21 at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy veteran visited the site of the attack on the 80th anniversary in 2021. Heinrichs set up a GoFundMe for her late father to visit Pearl Harbor at the time, which raised $15,000 in two months. Heinrichs, Schab and his caretakers flew to Hawaii together in December 2021.
Schab told PEOPLE at the time that he was “grateful” for the generous donors who contributed to his campaign, and that he felt “very humble.”
“It means so much to go back. To be there. And to still stand,” Heinrichs, a nurse, wrote on GoFundMe after raising enough funds for their trip.
Following the loss of fellow bandmate Lee Ousley in 2015, Schab was the last remaining member of his Navy band unit.
Pacific Historic Parks – USS Arizona Memorial/Facebook
“I’d rather it not be that I’m last,” he told PEOPLE four years ago. “I wish there were still some of us going.”
Schab, who lived in Oregon in recent years, arrived in Pearl Harbor, located in O’ahu, Hawaii, aboard the USS Dobbin as a member of Navy Band Unit 13 about 12 months before hundreds of enemy fighter planes descended upon the island.
“I got out of high school and couldn’t find a job,” Schab told PEOPLE in 2021 of why he decided to join the Navy. “Because I had been a musician since I was about 6 years old, my dad suggested I try out the Navy and see what they could do. And I did. They asked me for an interview, I passed, and I went to music school and became a Navy musician.”
A year later, Schab would bear witness to one of the most pivotal days in American history.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
When asked what he most remembers about the day of the attack, which began just before 8 a.m. local time, Schab recalled the fateful day in one word: “Terror.”
“We didn’t know what [was happening],” he recalled. “I looked up and saw a Japanese — I don’t know whether he was a fighter or anything like that — but I was scared. I got really worried about whether we were going to survive.”
Schab previously told PEOPLE that he hopes young people in the future remember to enjoy life, and not to hold grudges with the people they care about the most.
“There’s no reason to be sour or disgruntled for any reason at all. It’s a great world, great life. And I believe that the optimist is the guy that has something in his grip and he’ll never let go,” he told PEOPLE.
“Just be positive,” Schab said at the time. “Don’t ever let yourself go sour or negative or anything like that. Even though a lot of the world around you may be negative, don’t contribute to that. Always go to the optimistic side of your life.”
Read the full article here
