Pearl Harbor survivor from Northeast Georgia honored during national Salute to America

One of America’s last living Pearl Harbor survivors stood on the National Mall Saturday as the nation celebrated its 250th birthday.

Retired Army Capt. Ken Schubring was among a select group of veterans honored by President Donald Trump during the Salute to America Independence Day celebration in Washington, D.C. Schubring, who lives in Clarkesville, appeared alongside fellow veterans representing generations of military service. Behind them were displayed historic American flags that marked defining moments in the nation’s history, including the flag draped over President Abraham Lincoln’s casket and one flown aboard the Wright brothers’ first airplane.

An Associated Press photograph captured Schubring standing with his son, Ken Schubring Jr., in front of a flag that flew over Pearl Harbor during World War II, a fitting tribute for one of the few remaining Americans who witnessed the attack that thrust the United States into World War II.

Still ‘vivid’ memories

Schubring, who celebrated his 104th birthday on June 28, was just 19 years old when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. An airplane mechanic stationed about five miles north of Pearl Harbor, he had just finished guard duty at Wheeler Field and was headed to breakfast when he heard the first explosion shortly before 8 a.m.

“Everyone rushed outside,” he recalled in a 2022 interview with the Williamson Herald. “The sky was full of Japanese bombers.”

Schubring took cover in a roadside ditch during the attack. When it was safe to emerge, he found devastation all around him. The hangar and aircraft had been destroyed, his barracks had been hit, and smoke billowed from Pearl Harbor in the distance, according to recollections shared with Pacific Historic Parks.

His memories remain vivid more than eight decades later.

“Very sharp. Something like that, you can’t forget,” Schubring told CBS News in a recent interview.

He also vividly remembers recognizing the attacking aircraft.

“I knew they were Aichi 99’s and they had a red circle underneath the wing and a red circle on the fuselage, and that was Japanese,” he said.

A life of service

Following the attack, Schubring completed the Army Air Forces aviation cadet program and returned to the Pacific as a flight engineer aboard B-29 bombers. He served throughout the war and was returning from a bombing mission over Osaka, Japan, when his crew received word that Japan had surrendered.

After World War II, Schubring earned a master’s degree in business administration before settling in Athens, Georgia. He later served two terms on the Athens-Clarke County Board of Education, where he helped advance school integration despite fierce opposition.

His son, Ken Schubring Jr., has said his father “never wavered” in standing up for what he believed was right.

Today, Schubring’s children continue preserving the legacy of Pearl Harbor through the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, working to ensure future generations understand the sacrifices made by those who lived through that historic day.

As America marked 250 years of independence on the National Mall, Schubring’s presence served as a living link to one of the nation’s defining moments, and a reminder of the courage, sacrifice and service that helped preserve the freedoms celebrated on Independence Day.