Current:Home > InvestLou Conter, the final USS Arizona survivor from Pearl Harbor, dies at 102 -×
Lou Conter, the final USS Arizona survivor from Pearl Harbor, dies at 102
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:10:12
Lou Conter, the final surviving crewmember of those aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, has passed away at 102, according to multiple reports.
Surrounded by family in Grass Valley, California, Conter took his final breath, his daughter told KCRA 3. The veteran had been in hospice for the past four weeks, the Sacramento, California-based TV station reported.
Conter is expected to receive a ceremony with full military honors, according to KCRA 3.
Conter went on to survive being shot down in WWII
Conter was one of the 335 sailors aboard the USS Arizona who survived on Dec. 7, 1941. The Arizona lost 1,177 sailors and Marines during the Japanese attack, according to the National WWII Museum.
Several years later, a 20-year-old Conter, was quartermaster third class when his patrol bomber was shot down seven miles off the coast of New Guinea causing the seaplane's 10-man crew to fall into the Pacific Ocean.
Once in the water, Conter and his crew were not alone.
"We had 10 or 12 sharks around us all the time," Conter recalled. "I told the men, 'If a shark comes close, hit it in the nose with your fist as hard as you can.'"
Conter went on to have a decorated naval career, a vast real estate portfolio
Conter would serve through World War II before going to Korea. He then taught U.S. troops survival, evasion, resistance and escape skills in 1954. His legacy includes helping establish training bases in Florida and California, and in 1965 he came back to Pearl Harbor to author a training manual for troops heading to Vietnam.
Conter ultimately retired from the Navy in 1967, settled in Palm Springs and had a flourishing real estate career in California where he bought land for commercial and residential projects. He was a lieutenant commander at the time of his retirement.
When Conter was 93 years old he said everything he endured throughout his career was a part of his job, a sentiment he shared with every soldier and airman who took his classes.
Conter was also a part of the USS Arizona Reunion Association allowing him to stay in touch with the few remaining survivors.
When the country lost 102-year-old Ken Potts in April 2023, Conter became the last living survivor aboard the USS Arizona.
"They call a lot of us heroes, and I've always said we are not the heroes,” Conter told KCRA 3. “Heroes are the ones right there that day that lost their lives. They gave everything up. We got back to the States. We got married. We had kids and grandkids. We are still here. They were lost forever right then and there."
Contributing: Shaun McKinnon for The Arizona Republic
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Heat wave sizzles parts of the country as floods and severe weather force people from their homes
- Trump will address influential evangelicals who back him but want to see a national abortion ban
- Willie Nelson cancels Outlaw Music Festival performances for health reasons
- Small twin
- Powerball winning numbers for June 22 drawing: Jackpot now worth $84 million
- Score 70% Off Spanx, $4 Old Navy Deals, 45% Off Ulta, 70% Off West Elm & More of Today's Best Deals
- Rockies defeat Nationals with MLB's first walk-off pitch clock violation
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- White House perplexed by Netanyahu claims that U.S. is withholding weapons
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Inside Charlie’s Queer Books, an unapologetically pink and joyful space in Seattle
- Prince William brings dad dance moves to 'Shake It Off' at Taylor Swift concert in London
- 71-year-old competing in Miss Texas USA pageant
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Horoscopes Today, June 24, 2024
- 1 dead, 7 injured in shooting at nightclub in Louisville, Kentucky: Police
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, All Over the Place
Recommendation
Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
‘Inside Out 2' scores $100M in its second weekend, setting records
2028 LA Olympics: Track going before swimming will allow Games to start 'with a bang'
Meet the millionaires next door. These Americans made millions out of nothing.
Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
Sha'Carri Richardson on track for Paris Olympics with top 100 time in trials' opening round
Shasta tribe will reclaim land long buried by a reservoir on the Klamath River
Hawaii reaches settlement with youth who sued over climate change