Harry Chandler, a Navy medic who helped rescue injured sailors from the waters of Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack in 1941, has passed away at the age of 103. He died on Monday at a senior living facility in Tequesta, Florida, with congestive heart failure noted as a contributing factor, though his advanced age was also considered in his death.
Chandler was the third Pearl Harbor survivor to pass away in recent weeks. On December 7, 1941, he was serving as a hospital corpsman 3rd class when Japanese fighter planes launched a bombing and machine gun assault on U.S. battleships, leading the country into World War II. Chandler recalled in a 2023 interview that he saw the planes approaching while he was raising the flag at a mobile hospital in Aiea Heights, located above the harbor.
Chandler recalled initially mistaking the planes for American ones until he saw bombs falling. His immediate reaction was to take cover and “get the hell out of here,” fearing they would begin strafing the area.
He and his unit quickly hopped onto trucks to attend to the injured. Chandler described how he boarded a boat to help pull wounded sailors from the water. The harbor was coated in oil from the ships that had exploded, so Chandler made sure to wash the sailors off after rescuing them. Despite the chaos around him, he said he was so focused on helping that he didn’t have time to be afraid.
Chandler explained that during the chaos, he wasn’t afraid because he was so focused on his work. “It got so busy you weren’t scared. Weren’t scared at all. We were busy. It was after you got scared,” he said. He later realized how dangerous the situation was and acknowledged that he could have been killed. However, at the time, he was solely focused on helping others, not on the risk to his own life.
The attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in the deaths of over 2,300 U.S. servicemen, with nearly half of them—1,177—being sailors and Marines aboard the USS Arizona, which sank just nine minutes after being bombed.
Chandler’s memories of the attack resurfaced when he visited Pearl Harbor for a ceremony in 2023 marking the 82nd anniversary of the bombing. “I look out there, and I can still see what’s going on. I can still see what was happening,” he shared.
When asked what message he wanted Americans to take away from Pearl Harbor, Chandler simply said, “Be prepared.” Chandler believed the attack on Pearl Harbor could have been anticipated, stating, “We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better.”
After the war, he worked as a painter and wallpaper hanger, and later bought an upholstery business with his brother. Chandler also served in the Navy reserves, retiring as a senior chief in 1981. Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Chandler spent most of his adult life in nearby South Hadley.
In recent years, he divided his time between Massachusetts and Florida. A passionate golfer, Chandler made five hole-in-ones during his lifetime, according to his grandson-in-law.
Chandler had one biological daughter and adopted two daughters from his second marriage to Anna Chandler, who passed away in 2004. He is survived by two daughters, nine grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren. Military historian J. Michael Wenger estimated that around 87,000 military personnel were stationed on the island of Oahu during the attack.
As of now, only 15 of the survivors are still alive, according to a count kept by Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors.
