Pearl Harbor Survivor Laid To Rest In Oklahoma City

A 96-year-old survivor of the World War II Pearl Harbor attack was laid to rest Tuesday, April 30, at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City. 

Ivan Stewart graduated from Shawnee High School in 1940. He enlisted in the Navy six months later, and he was on Ford Island when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7^th, 1941. 

Stewart was awarded the Purple Heart. He is also widely-recognized in Naval Circles as the youngest sailor to achieve the rank of “Chief Petty Officer, which he did at age 21.

Stewart also fought in a handful of battles during World War II.

When he got out of the military in the late 1940s, he studied to become a minister. 

“He saved souls,” said long-time friend Marvin Cawood. 

Honoring America’s Warriors assisted the U.S. Navy in rendering full military honors to Stewart at Tuesday’s gravesite service.

“This is probably one of the last opportunities that we’re going to have to honor a Pearl Harbor survivor,” said Honoring America’s Warriors Executive Director Scotty Deatherage.