SAN DIEGO — It's been 82 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Thursday the USS Midway Museum held its annual ceremony honoring all of the service members who lost their lives that day, as well as the survivors who have since passed away.
Clayton Schenkelberg was a Pearl Harbor survivor who passed away in 2021. His family was in the crowd Thursday.
"He was an amazing man. There was a reason why they were called the 'Greatest Generation,'" said Schenkelberg's daughter, Carrie Harris. "They did what they did for their country, and he was an amazing father whom we miss so much," she said tearfully. "We are so proud of him."
Schenkelberg was a torpedo man in the Navy. His family said growing up, their father never talked about Pearl Harbor. Once his kids became adults, he began sharing his story in classrooms with students.
His son, Patrick Schenkelberg, said it's heartbreaking that just a few Pearl Harbor survivors are still alive.
"There are stories no one is ever going to get to hear again because they're not here to tell them," he said. "Stories you don't read in books or see in silly movies, they're real stories of how they survived. And that's what's sad, is those stories are largely lost."