The passing of Ira "Ike" Schab marks the poignant loss of another direct link to one of the most pivotal moments of the 20th century. Schab, one of the last known survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died peacefully at his home in Oregon on Saturday, aged 105.
A Day of Infamy: Surviving the Surprise Attack
On 7 December 1941, a 21-year-old Schab was serving as a US Navy musician aboard the USS Dobbin at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His plans to visit his brother at a nearby radio station were shattered by the surprise Japanese assault that propelled the United States into the Second World War.
"We were pretty startled – startled and scared to death," Schab recalled in a 2023 interview. "We didn't know what to expect." Instead of playing music, he spent that harrowing morning helping to pass ammunition to anti-aircraft gunners defending the ship.
The attack claimed the lives of three sailors manning a gun on the Dobbin, with over 2,400 US troops killed overall. Schab's survival that day placed him among a dwindling group of firsthand witnesses to the historic event.
From Wartime Service to the Apollo Programme
Following the attack, Schab served with the US Navy throughout the Pacific theatre, seeing action in locations including the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), the Mariana Islands, and Okinawa.
After the war, he forged a new career as an electrical engineer, contributing his skills to the monumental Apollo spaceflight programme that would eventually land American astronauts on the moon. His son followed in his footsteps, later retiring from the Navy as a commander.
For decades, Schab considered it a solemn duty to return to Pearl Harbor for the annual remembrance ceremonies. "To pay honor to the guys that didn't make it," he explained in 2023. He attended the 83rd commemoration in 2024, but watched the most recent 84th ceremony via live stream due to health concerns.
A Legacy of Remembrance
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement from the USS Arizona Memorial. It noted he passed away with his family by his side, listening to swing music. His death leaves only an estimated dozen survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack.
In 2022, speaking at an observance, Schab implored the audience to remember all who served that day. "They did a hell of a job," he stated simply. His long life served as a powerful bridge between the defining conflict of the 1940s and the modern day, a personal testament to history, service, and resilience.
Ira "Ike" Schab's story encapsulates a century of American experience, from the shock of war to the triumph of space exploration, always anchored by the memory of a day that changed the world.
