Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, is the nation’s oldest living survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But on Dec. 7, 1941, he was deep inside the USS St. Louis, a light cruiser, repairing a boiler in a steam drum — unaware of the chaos erupting above him.
“While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum,” Johnson said from his Centerville, Massachusetts home, which is filled with mementos of his Navy service. “Couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing.”
Above him, his shipmates fired anti-aircraft guns at the attacking planes, shooting down a torpedo plane, while the St. Louis dodged midget submarines and made it safely to open water.
Johnson kept his military identification tag — his dog tag — and has surrounded himself with reminders of that day, including photographs of the St. Louis and of himself as a young sailor, a collection of Navy challenge coins, and ribbons from the places he visited.
The surprise attack killed more than 2,400 Americans and propelled the United States into World War II. With the number of living survivors dwindling, Johnson’s living link to Pearl Harbor grows increasingly rare, and he speaks of that day to ensure younger generations remember what happened.