Lou Conter was the last survivor of the bombing of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
- Died: April 1, 2024 (Who else died on April 1?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Grass Valley, California at the age of 102.
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Lou Conter’s legacy
Conter joined the U.S. Navy in 1939, after graduating from high school in Wheatridge, Colorado. He had been stationed on the USS Arizona for almost two years when it was attacked by Japanese forces along with the rest of the naval base at Pearl Harbor. Conter was on duty and aboard the ship at the time of the attack, and the explosion as the ship was bombed knocked him off his feet but didn’t injure him. He was able to assist the wounded and help several others into a lifeboat as the orders came to abandon ship.
In the days and weeks after the attack, Conter helped with search and recovery efforts, and he worked to put out fires on the base. He was one of 93 men who were on board the USS Arizona who lived. 242 were on shore, while 1,177 crewmembers were killed in the attack. As of last April, when Ken Potts (1921–2023) died, Conter was the last surviving crewmember of the USS Arizona. Conter paid tribute to his fallen brothers in arms by attending the annual memorial service at Pearl Harbor until recent years, when he was no longer able. He also kept Pearl Harbor memorabilia in his home and published a 2021 memoir, “The Lou Conter Story: From U.S.S. Arizona Survivor to Unsung American Hero.”
After the bombing, Conter attended flight school and went on to fly missions in the Pacific during World War II. He was shot down twice over the Pacific. He remained in the Navy and served again in the Korean War, flying 29 combat missions and serving as an intelligence officer. He helped create the Navy’s jungle survival training protocol for airmen who were shot down, called SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape). After his retirement from the military in 1967 as a lieutenant commander, Conter worked as a real estate broker and developer.
Notable quote
“The 2,403 men that died are the heroes. I’m not a hero. I was just doing my job.” —from a 2022 interview for the Associated Press
Tributes to Lou Conter
Full obituary: The New York Times
