THE FLYOVER – For the first time, Sunday’s Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony in Hawaii was held without any survivors present, as only 12 remain alive, all centenarians, and none were able to travel.
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial (run by the National Park Service) notes that the day of remembrance continues every December 7, honoring the 2,403 Americans killed in the 1941 attack.
Among the most recent to pass: Warren “Red” Upton, the last known survivor who served aboard the USS Utah, died in December 2024 at age 105. Another veteran, Jessie A. Mahaffey, who survived the capsizing of the USS Oklahoma, died in March 2025, at age 102.
To ensure survivors’ voices aren’t lost, federal and public agencies have archived hundreds of oral histories, letters, photos, and diaries. Both the National Park Service and the Library of Congress (via its Veterans History Project) maintain extensive collections accessible to the public.