The last, local Pearl Harbor survivor

Pearl Harbor survivor Ray Garland was Grand Marshall for the American Heroes Parade on July 4, 2016, in Coeur d’Alene. Garland, 94, of Coeur d’Alene, is the last living military veteran on the membership roster of the Lilac City Chapter of Pearl Harbor Survivors. At one time the chapter had 125 active members from all over the Inland Empire. (Kathy Plonka/SR photo)

Just before 8 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, a weary Ray Garland joined a small group of sailors and Marines on the quarterdeck of the USS Tennessee. He’d been on watch since 4 a.m. but got off early to help raise the colors. “I heard a noise,” he recalled. “A corporal said, ‘Turn around,’ so I did. I saw a Japanese dive bomber flying alongside us. He was so close, I could see his goggles.” The flag wasn’t raised that day/Cindy Hval, SR. More here.

Question: Are there World War II veterans in your family?