Posted on 02/14/2018 8:03:25 AM PST by US Navy Vet
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - The second oldest known Pearl Harbor survivor and original member of The Navigators passed away on Tuesday.
Lt. James Downing passed away at the age of 104. His heart function declined following surgery in recent weeks, and he was unable to rally.
Lt. Downing was a gunner's mate 1st class and postmaster on the USS West Virginia.
"December 7th, my job was to do what I could after the attack," Lt. Downing told Dianne Derby in a previous interview. "Monday I had a new job, so I concentrated on that."
Downing spent 24 years serving in the Navy. When he retired he took a job with The Navigators, a worldwide Christian ministry based in Colorado Springs he helped found.
Downing was the father to seven children. His wife of 68 years, Morena, passed away in 2010.
Wait! You mean he wasn't getting "counseling" for his grief and trauma?
RIP to a genuine hero, and a member of what may well be the last generation of truly strong American men.
God Bless...
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