Donald Stratton was a U.S. Navy veteran who survived the attack on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor in a daring escape from a burning ship. One of the last to escape the USS Arizona as it became engulfed in flames, Stratton was saved by a sailor on a nearby ship who threw a line for him to grab. In later years, Stratton worked to learn the identity of the sailor who helped — Joe George — and lobbied for George to receive the Bronze Star that was posthumously awarded to him in 2017. With Stratton’s death, only two survivors of the USS Arizona remain.
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Died: February 15, 2020 (Who else died on February 15?)
Details of death: Died at home in Colorado Springs at the age of 97.
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Later life: Stratton reenlisted in the Navy after recovering from the severe burns he sustained in the Pearl Harbor attack. Later, he worked on oil rigs in California. In 2016, Stratton published his memoir of his military service, the bestselling “All the Gallant Men.”
Notable quote: “I think about it every day. I have to animosity against the Japanese people, but I can’t forget what happened.” —from a 2016 interview with the Daily Express
What people said about him: “One of Donald’s final wishes was that people remember Pearl Harbor and the men aboard the USS Arizona. Share their story and never forget those who gave all for our great country.” —Stratton’s family in a statement on his Facebook page
“Donald Stratton spent a quarter century trying to forget Pearl Harbor, the cataclysmic and explosion aboard the battleship USS Arizona. Then he spent the next 53 years working to make sure the rest of us did not forget.” —Mark S. Getzfred, New York Times news desk editor
Full obituary: The Washington Post
Related lives:
- Lauren Bruner (1920 – 2019), one of the last survivors of Pearl Harbor’s USS Arizona
- Don Howison (1921 – 2020), oldest remaining survivor of WWII USS Indianapolis disaster
- Joe Vandever Sr. (1923 – 2020), one of the last living WWII Navajo code talkers
