OAN Staff James Myers
2:48 PM – Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Harry Chandler, a former Navy medic who helped rescue injured sailors from the oil-filled waters of Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on their naval base in 1941, has died at the age of 103.
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Chandler died Monday at a senior living center in Tequesta, Fla., said Ron Mahaffey, the husband of granddaughter Kelly Fahey.
Chandler reportedly suffered from congestive heart failure, but Mahaffey pointed out that doctors and nurses simply cited advanced age when listing the cause of death.
He is the third Pearl Harbor survivor to die in the past few weeks. Last April, Lou Conter, the last survivor of the USS Arizona, died in his sleep at the age of 102 after battling congestive heart failure.
chandler was a member of the hospitalrd Class on December 7ththIn 1941, Japanese fighter planes dropped bombs and machine guns on battleships in the harbor, inviting America to enter World War II.
In an interview with Associated Press In 2023, Chandler explained that he was holding a flag at the Aiea Heights mobile hospital on a hill overlooking the base when he saw Japanese planes approaching.
“I thought the planes were coming from America until I saw the bombs being dropped,” Chandler said. He said his first instinct was to hide and “get the hell out of here.”
“I was worried they would start strafing,” he added.
In response, Chandler's men took to the truck to treat the wounded. In an oral history interview with the Pacific Historical Park, he also mentioned riding in a boat to quickly retrieve injured sailors from the water.
The harbor was covered in oil from the ship's explosion, so Chandler washed the sailors after pulling them out of the murky water. Chandler also said he was so focused on helping the people in the water and had so much adrenaline that he didn't feel scared, at least not until later.
“It wasn't scary because it got so busy. It wasn't scary at all. We were busy. It was after being scared,” Chandler said.
He also realized later that he could have easily been killed, “but you never thought about it while you were busy caring for people,” Chandler continued.
More than 2,300 U.S. military personnel were killed in the Japanese attack. Almost half, 1,177, were sailors and Marines aboard the USS Arizona, which ultimately sank nine minutes after being bombed.
Chandler's memories returned after he visited Pearl Harbor for the 82nd anniversary in 2023.n.d. Anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb.
“When I look out, I can still see what's going on. I can still see what happened,” Chandler said. Associated Press.
When asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, he simply replied, “Be prepared.”
“We should have known it was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better,” he said.
“I've interviewed so many people over the last 10 years, and I've never walked away from an interview just in awe of someone,” says anchor Stephanie Balderrama. CBS Affiliate WPEC-TV Speaking after an interview with Chandler. “His memory, he remembered all those moments and spoke about it so eloquently and clearly.”
After the war, Chandler became a painter and wallpaper specialist and started an upholstery business with his brother. He also joined the Naval Reserve, retiring as a senior colonel in 1981.
Chandler had one biological daughter and adopted two daughters from his second marriage to a woman named Anna Chandler, who died in 2004. He is survived by two daughters, nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.
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