Ray Chavez, believed to be the oldest-surviving veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor, died Wednesday at the age of 106.
Kathleen Chavez, who had been her father’s live-in caregiver at his Poway home for more than 30 years, said he passed away peacefully in the early morning hours Wednesday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Chavez gained national prominence three years ago when Pearl Harbor veterans recognized him as the oldest survivor of the Japanese attack in 1941 that ushered the U.S. into World War II.
This year, Chavez traveled to Washington, D.C., during Memorial Day weekend. He met President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and toured national monuments.
Chavez was a quartermaster on the minesweeping ship the USS Condor during the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
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