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Ray Chavez, Oldest Pearl Harbor Survivor, Dies at 106

His family said he was honored to serve his country.

Ray Chavez, the nation's oldest survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, has died aged 106. The veteran's death was announced by the White House, which said in a tweet: “We are saddened to hear the oldest living Pearl Harbor veteran, Ray Chavez, has passed away at the age of 106. We were honored to host him at the White House earlier this year. Thank you for your service to our great Nation, Ray!” Chavez reportedly passed away in his sleep Wednesday. “Ray was honored to have served his country and to fight among heroes and loved meeting his fellow comrades,” his family said in a statement. “He cherished his time going to talk to the kids at schools because he doesn't want them to forget Pearl Harbor.” Chavez was a quartermaster stationed in Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack on Hawaii that initiated America's entry into World War II in 1941.