Sterling Cale was the last survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack still living in Hawai’i and after 57 years of service, a veteran of three wars.
- Died: January 20, 2024 (Who else died on January 20?)
- Details of death: Died in Aiea, Hawai’i at the age of 102.
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Sterling Cale’s legacy
Cale was just 20 years old when the attack on Pearl Harbor began. Serving as a pharmacist mate at the U.S. Naval Hospital, he was immediately thrust into the attack’s aftermath. Cale ran a boat with two other soldiers, rescuing survivors and pulling bodies from the burning wreckage of the USS Arizona. In the days that followed, he helped recover at least 46 remains of those killed in the attack.
The horrors of that day followed him for years. Though he lived nearby, Cale did not see the USS Arizona Memorial until 1974. His son, also named Sterling, said his father did not talk about that day. Despite this experience, Cale continued to serve after the war, transferring from the Navy to the Army and staying in the military through the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Cale finally retired from service in 2005 as a Sergeant Major, having served 57 years. After retirement, he was a prominent volunteer at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, where he spoke to thousands of visitors to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial for many years. He also wrote a memoir, “A True American: The Story of a Pearl Harbor Survivor, World War II, Korean and Vietnam War Veteran.”
On the events of Pearl Harbor:
“Everybody should remember everything that happened.”—from a 2020 interview for Hawaii Now News
Tributes to Sterling Cale
Full obituary: Hawaii News Now
