Freeman Johnson, Britain’s oldest living survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack, was deep inside a boiler on the USS St. Louis when Japanese planes struck on December 7, 1941. Now 106, he never saw the assault firsthand, emerging only after the light cruiser had escaped to sea.
Johnson recalled: 'While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum. Couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing.' He later learned the attack had killed over 2,400 US troops and propelled America into World War II.
Johnson assumed the mantle of oldest survivor after the death of fellow veteran Ira Schab in December. Only 11 survivors remain. Each year a remembrance ceremony is held at Pearl Harbor; in 2024 only two survivors attended, and last year none could make the journey.
For most of his life Johnson avoided the spotlight. But as the oldest survivor, he has become a reluctant public face. He receives letters from around the world and is hailed as a hero wherever he goes. Despite being hard of hearing and using a walker, he recalls his wartime experiences in detail.
Johnson joined the Navy at 19 to avoid being drafted into the Army. He helped commission the USS Iowa and remembers it being fitted with a bathtub for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s trip to the Tehran Conference in 1943. 'It was a big meeting,' Johnson said. 'I don’t know what they talked about, but I didn’t need to know.'
