It is only natural that we need to recognize our veterans and their service because they have given so much of themselves to us. We still have courageous men and women who served the nation at the time of Pearl Harbor, more than 80 years after it occurred.
Jack Holder was a courageous man who has since passed away at the age of 101 after telling his amazing tale numerous times.
Pearl Harbor victim Jack Holder was. He had flown more than 11 sorties in the Pacific and Europe during World War II. The warrior passed away in Arizona at the age of 101.
Holder passed away on Friday at a hospital in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix, according to Darlene Tryon, a close acquaintance of Holder and the executor of his estate. The Pearl Harbor National Monument also reported the veteran’s passing.
In a household in Gunter, Texas, Holder was born. In 1940, he enlisted in the Military at the age of just 18. When the Japanese attacked the American naval base in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he was stationed and on duty at Ford Island in Oahu.
Holder frequently discussed what happened on that day. He said, “The first bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor was about 100 yards from me,” adding, “saw guys swimming through burning oil in the water.”
The soldier remembered dodging a bullet by scurrying into a ditch. He concealed himself behind the defense of a sandbag fort. Holder recalled in a 2016 interview, “I wondered if this was the day I would die.” “That morning, I watched as Japanese dive bombers devastated Pearl Harbor. I knew we would no longer sit on the sidelines of the war ravaging Europe,” he said.
Holder devoted time to constructing a temporary machine gun pit in the days that followed the attack. For safety, he filled a ravine with sandbags.
Around 2,400 servicemen were killed in the Pearl Harbor assault, which propelled the U.S. into World War II. Nearly half of those killed were aboard the USS Arizona, losing 1,177 sailors and Marines.
Holder took part in the Battle of Midway while serving. Before being sent to London, he also completed missions over Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands, and the French and English coasts.
Holder received several awards, including a presidential citation, two distinguished flying cross medals, six air medals, two air medals of valor, and six commendation medals. He received an honorable release from the military in 1948.
Holder spent 25 years as a business and commercial pilot after receiving an honorable discharge from the military. He started playing golf in his spare time and, later in life, relocated to an Arizona retirement community.
After retiring, he developed a passion for Wartime education. His companion Darlene Tryon claims he frequently attended memorial services for Pearl Harbor, museums, and his children’s school.
He was invited to depart from Falcon Field in Mesa on an honor trip to commemorate his 100th birthday. The veteran responded, “good heart exercise and two scotch and sodas every night,” when asked the secret to his lengthy existence.
Tryon stated that a Phoenix memorial ceremony for Holder is scheduled for early April. Later, the honored warrior will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
Even though there are no formal numbers available, it’s believed that there might not be many survivors of the men and women who fought at Pearl Harbor. Therefore, it is ideal to pay respect to veterans whenever we come across them.
Our thoughts and condolences are with Jack Holder’s family and friends.
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