On July 11, 2018, Edward Johann marks his 95th birthday. 

Just six short months after enlisting in the military at the age of 17, Mr. Johann displayed remarkable courage during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Manning a thirty-foot motor launch from the hospital ship USS Solace (AH-5), Ed Johann and his two crewmates worked tirelessly, pulling badly injured men from the oil-slicked, flaming waters of the harbor and ferrying them to safety. In the midst of the devastation of that fateful morning, the brave young man vowed that, if he survived the ordeal, he would dedicate his life to helping others.

After serving throughout the Pacific aboard the auxiliary ship USS Wright (AV-1) until the end of the war, he kept his promise, becoming a firefighter in Portland, Oregon. As if saving people from fires wasn’t enough to fulfill the vow he made as a young man in the chaos of Pearl Harbor, Ed Johann also participated in many mountain search and rescue operations. In his spare time, he led climbing expeditions. In his long life, he also found time to write four books, marry, and raise a family. 

Read the inspiring story of Ed Johann’s rescue efforts on that “date which will live in infamy.”

PearlHarbor.org salutes Ed Johann and thanks him for his service to his country in wartime and peace. 

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