Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor Reflects on Experience

On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, Freeman Johnson, the country’s oldest living survivor, was working deep below deck on the USS St. Louis. Now 106, Johnson was repairing a boiler during the attack. He did not hear the gunfire as his shipmates shot down a torpedo plane. By the time he surfaced, the St. Louis had eluded submarines and was safely heading out to sea.

While all the rigmarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum. I couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing, Johnson said. His living room is filled with mementos and photos of his Navy service, including images of the St. Louis and a collection of Navy challenge coins and ribbons. Even as the ship sailed into the Pacific, Johnson remained mostly unaware of the attack. All you saw was ocean, he described the scene. I was just a sailor. They don’t tell you anything if you don’t need to know.

After World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab died at age 105, Johnson became the oldest survivor of the attack, which killed over 2,400 troops and thrust the United States into the war. The nation’s fallen service members are commemorated on Memorial Day. Each year, a remembrance ceremony honors Pearl Harbor survivors, though very few now attend. In 2024, only two survivors made the journey out of the 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day.

Johnson, who largely avoided the spotlight, has now become a celebrated figure due to his status as the oldest survivor. He arrived at his 106th birthday party in a limousine and received recognition as a local celebrity. Johnson, despite dealing with hearing loss, needing a walker, and suffering from congestive heart failure, vividly recalls his wartime experiences and the historical moments he witnessed.

Unemployed at 19 and wary of being drafted, Johnson chose the Navy over the Army, believing it to be less physically demanding. He preferred serving at sea to marching across Europe with heavy gear. He remembers fewer battle scenes and more notable historical events, such as helping commission the USS Iowa and witnessing President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s transport for the Tehran Conference with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin in November 1943.

Johnson also witnessed the war’s end from the Iowa’s mast during the surrender ceremonies in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. I could see the boats coming up with the Marines escorting the Japanese onto ship, he explained. It was all over. That was the end of the war.

These days, Johnson often attends Pearl Harbor remembrance events with his daughter Diane. She encourages him to share his experiences, especially with children unfamiliar with the historical significance. Diane Johnson corrected a report about her father being the last survivor in their state, raising his profile further. Johnson takes pride in leading the Cape Cod St. Patrick’s Parade.

Despite the attention, Johnson does not see Pearl Harbor as the defining moment of his life. Instead, he values his marriage and family, having three daughters. He worked in a machinist shop, a convenience store, and delivered meals to seniors well into his 90s. Pearl Harbor just happened. I can’t put it any other way, he reflected.