{"id":2423568,"date":"2025-04-15T02:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T06:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oldest-known-military-veteran-survivor-of-pearl-harbor-attack-dies-at-106-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T02:55:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T06:55:18","slug":"oldest-known-military-veteran-survivor-of-pearl-harbor-attack-dies-at-106-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oldest-known-military-veteran-survivor-of-pearl-harbor-attack-dies-at-106-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Oldest known military veteran survivor of Pearl Harbor attack dies at 106 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foldest-known-military-veteran-survivor-of-pearl-harbor-attack-dies-at-106-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2423568&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>vaughn P. Drake, Jr., the oldest known survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack, passed away at the age of 106 on April 7.Drake, who served as an Army engineer at Kaneohe Naval Air Station in Hawaii during the infamous December 7, 1941 attack, was just 23 years old at the time. He later participated in the Battle of Saipan in 1944, a significant conflict that contributed to the U.S. military&#8217;s strategy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.<\/p>\n<p>Drake received various accolades for his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/repulsive-illinois-nevertrumper-adam-kinzinger-continues-to-attack-president-trump-while-claiming-his-military-service-allows-him-to-act-as-insubordinate\/\" title=\"Repulsive Illinois #NeverTrumper Adam Kinzinger Continues to Attack President Trump While Claiming His Military ... Allows Him To Act as Insubordinate\">military service<\/a>, including the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Congressional Medal for the Veterans of Pearl Harbor. He was shocked by the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, initially believing it to be part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/confirmed-chinese-troops-on-canadian-soil-during-military-exercises\/\" title=\"Confirmed: Chinese Troops on Canadian Soil During Military Exercises\">military exercises<\/a> until he <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">witnessed actual bombings<\/a>.In a 2016 interview, he recounted the disbelief among soldiers regarding Japan\u2019s capability to launch such an assault. Drake&#8217;s life and service have been commemorated as an significant part of American military history.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Oldest known military veteran survivor of Pearl Harbor attack dies at 106<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2092140\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A military veteran believed to be the oldest survivor from the attack on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pearl-harbor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pearl Harbor<\/a>, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, has died.<\/p>\n<p>Vaughn P. Drake, Jr., was 106 when he passed away on April 7, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyt.com\/2025\/04\/14\/kentuckian-believed-be-oldest-pearl-harbor-survivor-dies-106\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports<\/a>. Drake served as an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/army\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Army<\/a> engineer stationed at Kaneohe Naval Air Station in Oahu, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hawaii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hawaii<\/a>, during the attack. He was 23 years old when the Japanese launched the surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet that led the U.S. to enter World War II.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3380380\/jeffries-supreme-court-hold-trump-officials-contempt-deportation-ruling\/\">Jeffries calls for Supreme Court to hold Trump officials in contempt over deportation ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3380141\/trump-officials-court-hearing-mistaken-deportation-salvadoran-prison\/\">Trump officials project defiance ahead of court hearing on man&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-administration-argues-judge-cant-order-return-of-man-mistakenly-deported-to-el-salvador-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump administration argues judge can\u2019t order return of man mistakenly deported to El Salvador - Washington Examiner\">mistaken deportation<\/a> to Salvadoran prison<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3380319\/man-arrested-unitedhealthcare-headquarters-ceo-assassinated\/\">Man arrested near UnitedHealthcare headquarters months after CEO assassinated<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>In addition to Pearl Harbor, Drake served in the Battle of Saipan from June 15 to July 9, 1944, as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Battle-of-Saipan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation Forager<\/a>. It was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-liberal-truth-brigade-has-ties-to-billionaire-who-peddled-disinformation\/\" title=\"New Liberal \u2018Truth Brigade\u2019 Has Ties to Billionaire Who Peddled Disinformation\">strategic victory<\/a> for the U.S. military, allowing them to gain control of the Marianas Islands, which was used as a base to launch bombing campaigns in close proximity to Tokyo, Japan. Historians compared the significance of this battle to the Allied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.navy.mil\/browse-by-topic\/wars-conflicts-and-operations\/world-war-ii\/1944\/saipan.html#:~:text=1944-,Operation%20Forager:%20The%20Battle%20of%20Saipan,invasion%20of%20Saipan%20were%20dizzying.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;breakthrough&rdquo;<\/a> at Normandy, France, on D-Day. It was a bloody conflict and both sides sustained heavy casualties, including 5,000 Americans killed during the battle.<\/p>\n<p>Drake received much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkyt.com\/2025\/04\/14\/kentuckian-believed-be-oldest-pearl-harbor-survivor-dies-106\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">recognition<\/a> for his service and was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal with two battle stars, the American Defense Medal with Foreign Service bar, and the World War II Victory Medal, according to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.milwardfuneral.com\/obituaries\/Vaughn-P-Drake-Jr?obId=41947345\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">obituary<\/a>. He also received the Congressional Medal for the Veterans of Pearl Harbor.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Drake was a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and Veterans of Foreign Wars.<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky&rsquo;s <em>Lexington Herald-Leader<\/em> interviewed Drake about his experience at Pearl Harbor in Dec. 2016. He <a href=\"https:\/\/taskandpurpose.com\/history\/pearl-harbor-vaughn-drake-dies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explained<\/a> that he was surprised the Japanese were able to pull off the attack and said that the soldiers he served with did not think they were capable of pulling off such a military feat.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3379300\/trump-administration-el-salvador-no-duty-to-return-migrant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CLAIMS IT HAS NO DUTY TO RETURN DEPORTED MIGRANT FROM EL SALVADOR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t believe it,&rdquo; Drake <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/news\/local\/article118983888.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in the interview. &ldquo;We were still in the barracks when they first hit. We thought it was Army maneuvers, Army Air Force maneuvers. We went out, and &hellip; we thought it was maneuvers still, even though some of the planes had red spots on them. There&rsquo;s no way Japan could get planes over Pearl Harbor! We didn&rsquo;t think it could possibly happen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Until we saw a bomb hit one of the buildings at Kaneohe Naval Air Station, and smoke rose up,&rdquo; Drake said. &ldquo;We knew by then it was more than just a maneuver. It had to be a real attack. It just didn&rsquo;t seem possible. No one could possibly believe that such a thing could happen. Even while it was happening, we didn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2092140\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2092140\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, Vaughn P. Drake, Jr., dies at 106<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2677,"featured_media":2423569,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap19338019517846-1024x785.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[53468,32229,53467],"class_list":["post-2423568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-military-veteran","tag-obituary","tag-pearl-harbor"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ap19338019517846-1024x785.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2677"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2423568"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423572,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423568\/revisions\/2423572"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2423569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2423568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2423568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2423568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}