MANY, La. – One of the last surviving sailors involved in the Pearl Harbor attack has died.
Jesse Mahaffey died Saturday at the age of 102. His funeral service will be Saturday at Warren Meadows Funeral Home in Many.
Mahaffey was on board the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, preparing the ship for inspection when it was torpedoed and keeled over on its side. He jumped in the water and swam to the USS Maryland after Oklahoma sank.
Mahaffey shared his story with KTBS on Dec. 7, 2024. Here’s a link: North Louisiana Pearl Harbor survivor recalls the date that lives in infamy
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't track the exact number of living Pearl Harbor survivors, but estimates it could be as few as 16 as of 2024.
Mahaffey will be buried in Lakeside Cemetery. He’s survived by two sons and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, along with a host of nieces, nephews and friends.