Photo: Lou Conter
Lou Conter, the last surviving sailor from the battleship Arizona, which was attacked and sank during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, has died. He was 102 years old, reports the Voice of America.
Conter, who turned 20 at the beginning of the war, was among the 335 surviving members of the battleship's crew and helped rescue other sailors.
The young sailor stood on the main deck of the Arizona when the first Japanese planes flew overhead at 7:55 a.m. on December 7. The crew was preparing to raise the flag when the attack began.
Lou Conter died Monday, April 1, at his home in California from heart failure, his daughter said, adding that he had family at his side,  ;transmits NBC News.
December 7, 1941 on the “Arizona” 1,177 sailors and marines were killed, and from that day the United States entered World War II.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge success for the Japanese fleet. The US Pacific Fleet was neutralized for six months and this, according to historians, allowed Japan to quickly capture most of Southeast Asia. However, the US refusal to truce and the willingness of the American people to continue the fight together with the allies led to the surrender of Japan in 1945.
It is worth noting that just six months after the Pearl Harbor tragedy, four of the six heavy Japanese aircraft carriers, participating in the attack on the main American base in Hawaii were destroyed by US forces in the Battle of Midway.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga