Free Republic

Ray Chavez, the oldest U.S. military survivor of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor that plunged the United States into World War II, died Wednesday. He was 106. Chavez, who had been battling pneumonia, died in his sleep in the San Diego suburb of Poway, his daughter, Kathleen Chavez, told The Associated Press. As recently as last May he had traveled to Washington, D.C., where he was honored on Memorial Day by President Donald Trump. The White House tweeted a statement after his death: "We were honored to host him at the White House earlier this year. Thank...

Ray Chavez, 103, and Jim Downing, 102, both served 74 years ago in Pearl Harbor and shared memories for the first time at a reunion in San Diego on July 3, 2015Two of Pearl Harbor's oldest known survivors, veterans Ray Chavez, 103, and Jim Downing, 102, share an unbreakable bond. The two met for the first time Friday, sharing the same eyewitness moments and deep memories of the horrific, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor 74 years ago. Still, for Downing, “most of what happened is just as clear as if it were last week.” Downing, who lives in Colorado Springs,...