Today is Thursday, December 7, 2023. Today marks eighty-two years since the infamous Japanese attack on military bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii that propelled us into World War II. In recognition of that anniversary, an article in today’s Daily News was written by Audrey McAvoy and Claire Rush entitled “Centenarian survivors of Pearl Harbor attack are returning to honor those who perished.”

One of those survivors, Ira “Ike” Schab, was aboard the USS Dobbin when he heard a call for a fire rescue party. When he went topside, he was startled to see the USS Utah capsizing and Japanese planes soaring in the air. He scurried back below deck to grab boxes of ammunition and joined a daisy chain of sailors feeding shells to an antiaircraft gun up above. Though he was only 140 pounds as a 21-year-old, he somehow found the strength to lift boxes weighing almost twice that.

Eighty-two years later, Schab returned to Pearl Harbor today on the anniversary of the attack to remember the more than 2,300 servicemen killed. He was one of five survivors at a ceremony commemorating the assault that brought us into the Second World War. Six of the increasingly frail men had been expected, but one was not feeling well, organizers said.

As you would expect, the aging pool of Pearl Harbor survivors has been rapidly shrinking. There is now just one crew member of the USS Arizona still living, 102-year-old Lou Conter of California. Two years ago, survivors who attended the 80th anniversary remembrance ceremony ranged in age from 97 to 103. Today they would be even older at this time.

“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t keep statistics for how many Pearl Harbor survivors are still living. But department data show that of the 16 million who served in World War II, only about 120,000 were alive as of October and an estimated 131 die each day.”

Schab did not speak that much about Pearl Harbor and what happened at that time until about a decade ago. He’s since been sharing his story with his family, student groups, and history buffs. He’s also returned to Pearl Harbor several times since.

Today’s ceremony was held on a field across the harbor from the USS Arizona Memorial, a white structure that sits above the rusting hull of the battleship, which exploded in a fireball and sank shortly after being hit. “More than 1,100 sailors and Marines from the Arizona were killed and more than 900 are entombed inside.”

According to Navy records, the Dobbin lost three sailors. One was killed in action and two died later of wounds suffered when fragments from a bomb struck the ship’s stern. All had been manning an antiaircraft gun.

Ira Schab spent most of World War II in the Pacific with the Navy, going to the New Hebrides, now known as Vanuatu, and then the Mariana Islands and Okinawa. Schab was one of the lucky ones since he was never wounded. Three years ago, he told the Best Defense Foundation in an online interview that he must have had a guardian angel guarding over him.

After the war, he worked on the Apollo program sending astronauts to the moon as an electrical engineer at General Dynamics. In retirement, he volunteered as a state park docent in Malibu, California, explaining the migration patterns of monarch butterflies.

A tuba player in the Navy, Schab stayed close with his bandmates long after the war. His daughter, Kimberlee Heinrichs, said they organized annual reunions for decades.

Though he’s slowing down due to his advanced age, Schab is happiest listening to big band jazz and audiobooks and going out to meet new people, his daughter indicated.

At his age, he’s thankful to still be able to return to Pearl Harbor. This time his daughter is going with him, along with other caregivers. The family has a GoFundMe account to help them raise money for the pilgrimage.

Schab says, “Just grateful that I’m still here. That’s really how it feels. Grateful.”

Because of Schwab’s and so many others’ service during the Second World War, this nation should unabashedly express its gratitude for their selfless contributions to keeping us safe during that horrendous conflict.

As we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor on this day, let us not lose perspective on what really faces us in less than a year’s time: the ultimate decision between advancing an out-and-out fascist to the White House or reelecting someone who continues to espouse and follow democratic principles. Schab and his fellow crew members were engaged in fighting fascism during the Second World War where the enemy could be easily identified; today we face a more existential struggle against fascism from within our own borders which makes it more difficult to eradicate since not everyone has yet awakened to the realization of that threat facing our nation. It’s imperative that we all confront this danger head-on and unite to defeat it as we once gallantly fought our enemies in World War II. If we don’t, then we can just say goodbye to democracy forever.

Stay safe and be well.

Here is a photo from the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, where ships are on fire after the surprise attack by Japanese forces.