Vaughn Drake Jr. died, age 106
Probably asking yourself “Who is Vaughn Drake”? I was…and then found he was believed to be the oldest Pearl Harbor survivor extant. Not a huge surprise at 106; that age stands out in almost any crowd.
Vaughn Drake Jr., an esteemed Central Kentuckian believed to be the oldest survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, died last week.
Drake died April 7 at the age of 106, according to a news release from the nonprofit Affinity Media and Public Relations announcing his death. His visitation is Thursday at the Milward Funeral Home on Southland drive in Lexington, according to his obituary, and a military-style burial will follow at Winchester Cemetery at West Lexington Avenue.
Drake was born in Winchester in 1918 and was stationed at Kaneohe Naval Air Station on Oahu during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Drake was 23, serving in the Army Corps of Engineers, at the time, according to the news release. He said in a previous interview with the Herald-Leader he was in charge of running a temporary power plant so carpenters building new barracks at Kaneohe had electricity for saws and other equipment.
“We left to go to the chow line to get our breakfast, and we noticed these planes flying over the naval air station, diving and everything. And we thought, ‘Boy, they’re really putting on a good show,’” Drake said in the interview. “Even though we saw the red spots on the wing — which was the Japanese symbol — we still couldn’t believe it. …
“About that time, one of the officers had been in contact with headquarters at Schofield Barracks, and they said, ‘This is an attack! The Japanese are attacking the whole island!’”
Drake also fought at Saipan later in the war.
Drake received numerous honors for his military service, including the special Congressional Medal for the Veterans of Pearl Harbor, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Medal with Foreign Service bar, the Asiatic-Pacific Medal with two battle stars and the World War II Victory Medal, according to his obituary.
After World War II, Drake started a career in engineering back home in Kentucky, according to the news release. His obituary says he attended the University of Kentucky College of Engineering and was a registered professional engineer for more than 50 years.
Drake worked with the General Telephone Company for thirty-six years and retired in 1981 as a valuation engineering manager. His obituary says he designed and supervised construction of all the underground telephone conduits placed in Lexington, Morehead and Ashland in the 1940s and 1950s. Military.com
He aid he did not want to be defined just by that one morning – looks to me like he made good on that.
From a CNN article in December on Chuck Kohler, age 100, another survivor:
Now 100 years old, the veteran is believed to be one of only 16 Pearl Harbor survivors who are still alive, Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, confirmed to CNN. CNN
That number is getting smaller all the time. Respect, gentlemen!
Category: None, We Remember, WWII
*Slow Salute*
(bows head)
Amen
I chatted with several WWII vets in the 2007 time frame when I discovered a discussion forum about VI Corps Engineers. My grandfather was in the 540th Engineer Combat Regiment and the owner of the site was the daughter of one of the men in the other battalion.
I loved their stories and the personal interaction I had with them. I even got to attend a reunion for guys in the 36th Combat Engineer Regiment in 2011. My own grandfather passed in 2004 and I never got to talk about it with him much until the very end because “Grandpa doesn’t like to talk about that”.
In the short years that followed, they have all passed away. I felt every death as an indicator that the whole generation is passing away. I’m sure Mr. Drake isn’t the last, but we’re getting to the last few, I would imagine.
I regret the passing of the guys I knew but so goes life. I am very glad to have known my grandfather and these guys.
Salute!
The picture is from the 2011 reunion. The guys are there with some reenactors from the area that took them on a short vehicle parade in some of the WWII rolling stock. In the center is the then current commander of the 36th and you might even find a Marine in there if you look hard enough.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmX17XxR
http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/default.html#gsc.tab=0
Pass the kleenex
“That such men lived”
Rest in Peace
RIP. Another example of how humble the members of the Greatest Generation could be.
Godspeed, Fare Well, and Rest Easy, Good Sir. A Life well lived. Slow Salute.
And soon…there will be none.
Thank you, Vaughn Drake, may you Rest in Peace.
I remember when we were down to the last of the 2nd Boer War vets and even had the pleasure of meeting one (he was a Boer)