BROOKFIELD. WIS. — Brookfield resident Ed Miklavcic, one of the last living survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, turned 106 years old on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, as of December, there were only 12 Pearl Harbor survivors still alive, and none were younger than 100 years old. For decades, Miklavcic has represented the survivors of the attack.
Miklavcic enlisted in the military in 1940 at 20 years old. He found himself stationed at the Wheeler Army Airfield at Pearl Harbor just days before the attack happened.
Watch: One of the last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors and Brookfield resident turns 106
"The enlistment was for Wisconsin and Illinois personnel and 1,500 of us went," Miklavcic said.
When the attack began, Miklavcic was heading to breakfast.
"The first bomb hit the second barrack which was directly behind us. So there was probably a couple hundred that died in the hallway," Miklavcic said. "From then on it was strafing up and down the street.”
He and others survived by hiding in a home while Japanese aircraft used machine guns to shoot at people and planes.
"We had no guns issued or anything and all the planes were disarmed," Miklavcic said.
After Pearl Harbor, Miklavcic spent the war stationed in the Pacific, serving for five years. He spent nine months on Iwo Jima during what is considered the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific, where nearly 7,000 people died and 20,000 others were wounded.
"I was at the beginning of the war. I left Iwo Jima the day before we dropped the first atomic bomb," Miklavcic said.
Today, Miklavcic still keeps a photo of the flag raised on Iwo Jima on his dresser. He regularly shares his memories of Pearl Harbor and World War II, noting that while it is important, it is also difficult.
"It is very hard on me because it brings back memories I don’t want to remember," Miklavcic said. "The world should be at peace. The way it is now is not right.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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