Oldest Known Survivor of Pearl Harbor Attack Dies at 106

LEXINGTON, KY — Vaughn P. Drake Jr., a Kentucky man believed to be the oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, died recently at the age of 106.

Drake passed away on April 7 near Lexington, Kentucky.

Drake was 23 years old and a member of the Army Corps of Engineers at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked.

"We were still in the barracks when they first hit," Drake said in a 2016 interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader. "We were getting ready to go to breakfast, and we heard all these planes flying over and making a lot of noise."

The attack killed 2,390 American service members and civilians, according to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial website. 

It also helped propel the U.S. into World War II.

In 1944, Drake fought in the Battle of Saipan and then in the Marianas Campaign, which the National Parks Service said was the "most decisive battle of the Pacific Theater" during World War II.

Drake was awarded the special Congressional Medal for the Veterans of Pearl Harbor, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Medal with Foreign Service bar, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal with two battles stars, and the World War II Victory Medal, according to his obituary.

After World War II, Drake attended the University of Kentucky College of Engineering and worked as a registered professional engineer for more than 50 years.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Lina Wilson Drake. He is survived by his son, two grandsons and three great-grandchildren.

Drake’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday following a military service at the Winchester Cemetery near Lexington.