Hawaii
2 Pearl Harbor survivors, ages 104 and 102, return to Hawaii to honor those killed 83 years ago
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Ira “Ike” Schab, a 104-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, spent six weeks in physical therapy to build the strength to stand and salute during a remembrance ceremony honoring those killed in the Japanese bombing that thrust the U.S. into World War II 83 years ago.
On Saturday, Schab gingerly rose from his wheelchair and raised his right hand, returning a salute delivered by sailors standing on a destroyer and a submarine passing by in the harbor.
“He’s been working hard because this is his goal,” said his daughter, Kimberlee Heinrichs, who traveled to Hawaii with Schab from their Beaverton, Ore. “He wanted to be able to stand for that.”
Schab is one of only two servicemen who lived through the attack who made it to an annual remembrance ceremony hosted by the U.S. Navy and National Park Service on a grass field overlooking the harbor. A third survivor had been planning to join them but had to cancel because of health issues.
The Dec. 7, 1941, bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S. servicemen. Nearly half — 1,177 — were sailors and Marines aboard the USS Arizona, which sank during the battle. The remains of more than 900 Arizona crew members are entombed in the submerged vessel beneath a memorial in their honor.
Dozens of survivors once joined the annual event, but their attendance has declined as survivors have aged. Today there are only 16 still living, according to a list maintained by Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. Military historian J. Michael Wenger has estimated there were some 87,000 military personnel on Oahu on the day of the attack.
Schab agreed when ceremony organizers asked him this year to salute on behalf of all survivors and World War II veterans.
“I was honored to do it,” he said. “I’m glad I was capable of standing up. I’m getting old, you know.”
Schab was a sailor on the USS Dobbin at the time of the attack, the tuba player in the ship’s band. He had showered and put on a clean uniform when he heard the call for a fire rescue party.
He hurried topside to see Japanese planes flying overhead and the USS Utah capsizing. He quickly went back below deck to join a chain of sailors feeding shells to an antiaircraft gun topside.
Ken Stevens, 102, of Powers, Ore., who served on the USS Whitney, joined Schab at the ceremony. USS Curtiss sailor Bob Fernandez, 100, had to cancel because of health issues.
Ceremony attendees observed a moment of silence at 7:54 a.m., the time the attack began more than eight decades ago. F-22 jets in missing-man formation flew overhead shortly after.
McAvoy writes for the Associated Press.
Gov. Josh Green today issued a statement regarding a federal lawsuit challenging the eligibility requirements within the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.
“The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was established to address the historic dispossession of Native Hawaiians and reflects a longstanding commitment to them by both the federal government and the state of Hawaiʻi,” said Green.
“This lawsuit threatens that commitment. I have directed the Department of the Attorney General to vigorously defend the Hawaiian Homes program. We will fight this lawsuit with everything we have,” he said.
The lawsuit was filed by Eric Ryan, an Oʻahu resident who is not Native Hawaiian and tried to apply for a lease, but was denied due to the 50% Native Hawaiian blood quantum requirement, according to Hawaiʻi News Now and court documents published at Courthouse News Service.
The Class Action Complaint argues that the “explicitly ancestry-based requirement” establishes a “permanent government mandate for state officials to engage in outright racial discrimination, perpetuates stereotypes, and limits housing opportunities for most Hawai‘i residents. The blood-quantum requirement thus violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the complaint alleges.
Green said the administration “stands firmly with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the thousands of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries who rely on this program and its promise for future generations.”
Attorney General Anne Lopez also issued a statement saying the state of Hawaiʻi has both a legal and moral obligation to uphold the commitments embodied in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.
“This lawsuit seeks to dismantle a program that has provided opportunities, stability and hope to generations of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries,” said Lopez.
Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes, who has extensive experience handling complex constitutional litigation on behalf of the state, will lead the legal team in defending the state against the challenge.
“We are prepared to vigorously defend the Hawaiian Homes program and the promises it represents,” said Lopez.
Under the Green administration, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has accelerated the delivery of homestead opportunities and expanded pathways to homeownership for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
In 2025 alone, DHHL offered more than 2,500 lease awards and continues to advance major housing projects, including Hale Mōʻiliʻili on Oʻahu, which will provide 278 affordable rental units for beneficiaries.
“These efforts reflect the administration’s commitment to reducing wait times, strengthening Native Hawaiian communities and fulfilling the promise of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act,” according to the governor’s announcement.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Concrete fell from the exterior of an Ala Moana Center parking structure Monday afternoon near the Kapiolani Boulevard exit, damaging a vehicle.
No injuries were reported.
Security blocked an exit lane as debris scattered across the roadway. Ala Moana Center said they are grateful no one was hurt, and the lane will remain closed while structural engineers and construction professionals assess the damage and make repairs.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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