Last Known USS Arizona Survivor of Pearl Harbor, Lou Conter, Dies at 102 in Grass Valley, CA

Lou Conter, the last known survivor of the USS Arizona battleship that was devastated in the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, has passed away at 102. Conter died from congestive heart failure at his home in Grass Valley, California, according to his daughter Louann Daley.

During the fateful morning of December 7, 1941, Conter served as a quartermaster on the USS Arizona's main deck. One bomb hit, detonating over 1 million pounds of gunpowder, claimed the lives of 1,177 sailors and Marines onboard—the battleship's dead representing nearly half of the total American fatalities from the bombing—12news reported. As chaos ensued, Conter remembered, "Guys were running out of the fire and trying to jump over the sides. Oil all over the sea was burning."

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Conter was trained to pilot PBY patrol bombers and flew 200 combat missions in the Pacific. He notably commanded the "Black Cats" squadron known for their nocturnal dive bombings in distinctively painted black planes. In a 2008 Library of Congress oral history interview, he recounted his military experiences and philosophies, advising to "Don’t ever panic in any situation. Survive is the first thing you tell them. Don’t panic or you’re dead," as he had successfully guided his crew to safety after being shot down during a 1943 mission, shared 12News.

Post-war, Conter became an exemplary Naval instructor, crafting the survival strategies as the Navy's first SERE officer, a legacy that would assist downed pilots in the jungles of Vietnam. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Conter's principles of survival, evasion, resistance, and escape proved critical to those captured as prisoners of war. He retired from his spirited career in 1967 after a 28-year tenure.

In his twilight years, Conter was a staple at Pearl Harbor remembrance ceremonies, and even when his health declined, he made an effort to record messages for the events he could no longer attend physically. "It’s always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve," he affirmed during a 2019 gathering.

While Conter was often praised for his service, he steadfastly redirected the heroism to his fallen comrades. "The 2,403 men that died are the heroes. And we’ve got to honor them ahead of everybody else," Conter told FOX 10 Phoenix in 2022. His passing closes the chapter on firsthand USS Arizona survivors, but his ethos and remembrance of the valor shown on December 7, 1941, endures.