One of the last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, a WWII Navy veteran, dies at 105

His death further shrinks the small group of living witnesses to Pearl Harbor

Published: December 21, 2025 11:32am

Ira “Ike” Schab, a U.S. Navy veteran and one of the small number of Americans who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, has died at the age of 105. 

Schab passed away peacefully at his home in Beaverton, Oregon, with his daughter and her husband by his side, family members said, according to WSLS.

Schab, born in July 1920, was 21 years of age and serving aboard the USS Dobbin when the surprise assault on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. A

He was a musician in the Navy band, playing the tuba, but he quickly responded to the attack by helping supply ammunition to anti-aircraft gunners in an effort to defend against the onslaught. 

Schab's ship lost three fellow sailors during the strike.

His death further shrinks the small group of living witnesses to Pearl Harbor, which was one of the most defining moments in U.S. history. 

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