Philip Kahn was a decorated World War II veteran who died from COVID-19 100 years after his twin brother died from the Spanish Flu.
- Died: Friday, April 17, 2020 (Who else died on April 17?)
- Details of Death: Died at the age of 100 from COVID-19 complications.
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From the Spanish Flu until COVID-19
Philip’s twin brother Samuel died during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic a few weeks after he was born. Their father had immigrated from Europe and owned a bakery on New York City’s upper west side.
“My grandfather Phil and his brother were pandemic bookends,” Kahn’s grandson Warren Zysman told the New York Post. “He knew the devastation of the first one—and he told me, ‘Warren, my boy, history repeats itself.'”
War hero who helped build the World Trade Center
Kahn joined the Army Air Forces during World War II and co-piloted missions over Iwo Jima. During the war he survived a sniper attack and a booby trap that would cause some hearing loss. Later he became an electrician and helped build the World Trade Center.
“He was loving guy with blue collar values who worked hard his whole life, and took on dangerous jobs,” said grandson Zysman. “The fact that he lost his twin so early always rang in his mind; he would bring it up a lot.”
Full Obituary: New York Post
