The USS Arizona was a battleship that sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 and its last remaining survivor has now passed away. Lou Conter died peacefully in the presence of his daughter and two sons, at his home in Grass Valley, California. He was 102, and had been on many adventures since the Arizona sank. Conter was a quartermaster at the time of the attack, and he stayed on board along with other survivors until everyone had been rescued.

After Pearl Harbor, he became a pilot and flew combat missions in World War II in the Pacific. When that part of his career ended he was the first SERE officer in the Navy and trained personnel on various survival techniques. He was considered a hero but always maintained that the actual heroes were the ones who died when the Arizona sank.

During his later years, Conter was very dedicated to attending ceremonies of remembrance for his fallen friends and honoring the memory of all the soldiers who had lost their lives. He talked openly about respecting those who had died, and how valuable and important their contribution had been. There were 1,177 people killed in the Pearl Harbor attack, and sailors were just starting to hoist the colors on the Arizona when the attack began.

It was 7:55 am and Conter was on the deck of the ship. He had vivid memories of a bomb that made its way through the steel of the decks and set off the gunpowder that was stored below. The explosion lifted the huge battleship out of the water by 30 to 40 feet and much of the front of the ship was on fire. The soldiers stayed with the ship and tended to the wounded, many of whom had been burned, blinded, or both.

Conter was one of 335 crew members who survived the attack and abandoned ship with the other survivors after everyone who was still alive had been rescued. More than 900 sailors and Marines are entombed within the wreckage of the Arizona, which still lies where it sank that fateful day.

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