Warren “Red” Upton, a 105-year-old World War II US veteran and the oldest living survivor of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, has died on Christmas Day. Upton passed away at a hospital in Los Gatos, California, after suffering a bout of pneumonia.
Upton was a humble and gentle man who never considered himself a hero. He believed that the real heroes were those who did not return home from the war. He was a proud survivor of the USS Utah, one of the seven ships sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Born on October 17, 1919, in El Dorado, California, Upton served as a Navy radioman aboard the USS Utah. He was 22 years old when the ship was attacked, and he was shaving aboard the ship when the first torpedo hit. A few seconds later, a second torpedo hit, causing the ship to list and capsize.
Upton and his crew were forced to abandon ship and swim for land. He helped a fellow crew member who couldn’t swim reach shore and later took cover in a ditch until a flatbed truck came to take him to safety.
After the war, Upton continued to serve as a radioman and later served in the Korean War. He converted to Catholicism during his time in the Navy. He worked as secretary of Pearl Harbor Survivors Chapter 7 in San Jose and facilitated meetings and reported deaths of survivors from his chapter.
Upton is survived by his five children and several grandchildren. His funeral arrangements are pending, but his final wishes were to be buried side-by-side with his wife, Valeria Gene Parker, who passed away in 2018.
Upton’s death leaves 15 known survivors of Pearl Harbor still alive. His passing is a reminder of the dwindling number of World War II veterans, with only 66,143 of the 16.4 million Americans who served still alive today.