Ray Chavez did not know what the future would hold to enlist in the Navy of the united States for almost eight decades. The veteran, who came to wear the rank of quartermaster, has become the last survivor to die (to be 106 years of age) from among the thousands of u.s. military personnel who suffered the attack on Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). The December 7, 1941, the bombing of the aviation japanese killed more than 2,300 people and, incidentally, got full to the united STATES in the Second World War. Chavez, who perished Wednesday in a hospital palliative care north of San Diego, said in an interview that “there was no day not to think of the attack by the enemy.”
the announcement Of the veteran echoed the White House itself, in a tweet expressed “its sorrow for the loss” and expressed “the great honor of having on its premises at the beginning of the year.” “Thank you for your service to our great nation, Ray!”, the end of the message, accompanied by an image of the old man next to a smiling Donald Trump. The family also wanted to share their impressions through a press release: “He felt honored to have served his country and fought among heroes, and she loved getting to know their classmates.”
We are saddened to hear the oldest living Pearl Harbor veteran, Ray Chavez, has passed away at the age of 106. We were honored to host him at the White House earlier this year. Thank you for your service to our great Nation, Ray! pic.twitter.com/CA7Xdcxz89
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 22, 2018
Natural San Bernardino (California) and the son of mexican migrants, Chavez grew up and married in San Diego. The reason that he ended up serving his country should be his wife, that he was the one who encouraged him to Fenomenbet enroll. “My wife encouraged me because he liked the Navy. At the end of the war, she wanted to continue, but I already had too much war and I left”, explained to CNN in an interview in may.
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Before leaving the Marina, the destination assigned him to Chavez for a moment indelible. The day of the attack, he was assigned to a minesweeper —boat designed to identify underwater mines—. During your turn, identified a water-resistant japanese in restricted waters nearby. Once finished your day was to rest: “I told my wife that he didn’t want me to wake up because I had been out all night, and that he was very tired, and I wanted to sleep a little bit,” he explained. However, the call of his wife despabiló and went up to scan the horizon. “She was right. All the ships were in flames, and a terrible curtain of smoke covered the whole port.” Escaping death by hours. During a week, participated in the rescue efforts, searching for survivors amid the flames and rubble.
After the event, Chavez served in a shuttle boat called the LaSalle, which was carrying soldiers to various battles in the Pacific islands, including those that occurred in Okinawa and Guadalcanal. However, the old man an ex military man also has fond memories of those days. “It is a great pleasure to meet new people and enjoy their company, and that is what happened to me”. For Chavez, the lesson of life that left life military was that of “discipline”.
In 2016, less than 200 survivors of the attacks were still alive. Now, the remains of the last survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor rest in the national cemetery in Miramar. Chavez attended the events commemorating the “day of infamy”—as he came to affirm the former president Franklin Roosevelt— on several occasions, he has argued for his daughter, who also has declared: “we Went last year and if you are still alive, we would definitely go back the next month. He always said, ‘I’m Not a hero. Simply did my job.”
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