Navy Veteran Ira ‘Ike’ Schab, Survivor of Pearl Harbor, Dies at Age 105

World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab, one of the last surviving witnesses of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, passed away at the age of 105. With his death the number of living survivors of the historic attack has dropped to around a dozen. Marking the fading of a generation that directly experienced one of the most important turning points in modern world history.

Who Was Ira ‘Ike’ Schab?

• Ira Schab was born on July 4, 1920, Independence Day, in Chicago, USA.
• He was the eldest of three brothers and joined the US Navy at the age of 18, inspired by his father’s service.
• At the time of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7 1941, Schab was just 21 years old and serving as a sailor aboard the USS Dobbin.
• He was also a musician who played the tuba in the ship’s band, unaware that his peaceful Sunday morning would soon turn into one of the most terrifying moments of his life.

December 7, 1941: The Day Pearl Harbor Was Attacked

• On what began as a calm Sunday morning, Schab had just finished showering and was wearing a clean uniform.
• He was expecting a visit from his brother, who was also serving nearby at a naval radio station.
• Suddenly, an alarm sounded calling for fire rescue.
• When Schab went above deck, he witnessed chaos.
• He saw the USS Utah capsizing as Japanese fighter planes roared overhead, dropping bombs across the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• Later recalling the moment, Schab said that the sailors were “startled and scared to death,” not knowing if they would survive the attack.

Courage Under Fire

• Reacting quickly, Schab rushed below deck to collect boxes of ammunition.
• He then joined a chain of sailors passing shells to an anti-aircraft gun in an effort to defend the ship.
• Although the USS Dobbin was not sunk, it lost three sailors.
• One was killed instantly, while two later died from bomb fragment injuries.
• All three had been operating an anti-aircraft gun, highlighting the deadly risks faced by sailors even on support vessels.
• Schab survived the attack, but like many veterans, he rarely spoke about the experience for decades.

Life After Pearl Harbor and the War

Following Pearl Harbor, Schab spent most of World War II in the Pacific region. His service took him to,

• The New Hebrides (now Vanuatu)
• The Mariana Islands
• Okinawa, Japan
• After the war ended in 1945 Schab returned to civilian life and pursued higher education.
• He studied aerospace engineering and later worked as an electrical engineer with General Dynamics.

He contributed to the famous Apollo space programme, helping in efforts that eventually sent astronauts to the Moon, showing how wartime veterans later played key roles in peaceful scientific achievements.

Keeping the Memory Alive

• In his later years as the number of Pearl Harbor survivors steadily declined, Schab felt a strong sense of responsibility to remember and honour his fallen comrades.
• He regularly travelled from his home in Beaverton, Oregon, to attend the annual Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremony in Hawaii.
• For the 2024 commemoration, he spent weeks building enough physical strength simply to stand and salute.

Key Takeaways

• Ira “Ike” Schab was a World War II US Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor
• He survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
• The attack killed over 2,400 US troops and led to US entry into World War II
• Schab served aboard the USS Dobbin and later fought across the Pacific theatre
• After the war, he worked on the Apollo space programme with General Dynamics

Question

Q. Ira “Ike” Schab, who passed away recently at 105, was a veteran of which war?

A. World War I
B. World War II
C. Korean War
D. Vietnam War