Freeman Johnson, 106, Keeps Pearl Harbor Memory Alive

On December 7, 1941, 19-year-old fireman Freeman Johnson was below deck on light cruiser USS St. Louis, repairing a boiler’s steam drum. As a fireman, his duty was to maintain the ship’s boilers under demanding conditions. He later recalled, “While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum. Couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing.” When he emerged topside, the ship had evaded midget submarines and was steaming away, and he never saw the anti-aircraft fire that followed.

UsNews and World Report

The Japanese surprise attack killed just over 2,400 service members and propelled the United States into World II. About 87,000 troops were on Oahu that morning. Johnson later helped commission USS Iowa for President Roosevelt’s Tehran Conference in November 1943 and witnessed Japan’s surrender from USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Annual remembrance ceremonies are held at a base waterfront. In 1991, roughly 2,000 survivors attended the 50th-anniversary event; recent decades have seen only a few dozen, with just two survivors traveling to Hawaii in 2024. After fellow veteran Ira “Ike” Schab’s death, Johnson became the nation’s oldest living survivor, leaving eleven survivors overall. As of 2026, only eleven veterans of the attack remain alive.

The Independent

Johnson’s recollections are used in school visits, where he tells children that they need not fear because they are too busy to be scared. He receives letters worldwide and is hailed as a hero. Local events like the Cape Cod St. Patrick’s Parade feature him leading the procession, and parade chairman Desmond Keogh praised his perseverance. The annual waterfront ceremony formally honors Pearl Harbor veterans, underscoring the need to preserve first-hand testimony as survivors dwindle. Sources note that survivor counts fluctuate, with no official registry. Beyond the war, Johnson married his wife Ruth, raised three daughters, and worked for decades as a machinist, a convenience-store clerk, and a senior-meal delivery driver before retiring at age 90. Johnson plans to attend the December 7 remembrance events with his daughter Diane, continuing to share his story despite congestive heart failure and limited mobility.

The Independent

• “While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum. Couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing,” — Freeman Johnson, 106-year-old survivor

UsNews and World Report

• “You’re not scared. You’re too busy to be scared. Besides, you don’t know what you’re scared of. You can’t see anything. What are you afraid of?” — Freeman Johnson

The Independent

• “It was a big meeting,” — Freeman Johnson, recalling the USS Iowa’s encounter with President Roosevelt

UsNews and World Report

• “Pearl Harbor just happened. I can’t put it any other way,” — Freeman Johnson

UsNews and World Report

• “I wish more people were like him today. He just gets on and doesn't complain about anything. It's what this country was all about. They were just a different generation. They did what was best for their country.” — Desmond Keogh, parade chairman

The Independent