With deep sorrow, we honor and remember Pearl Harbor survivor

 With deep sorrow, we honor and remember Pearl Harbor survivor Clarence “Bud” R. Lane, who passed away at 100 years old, just weeks before his 101st birthday on March 30.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, he was heading to muster when history changed in an instant. The sky filled with enemy aircraft, explosions echoed across the harbor, and flames rose where moments before there had been peace. A bomb struck the hangar’s paint locker, igniting a fierce fire. Torpedo planes flew so low they seemed close enough to touch. “We didn’t even have a rock to throw at them,” he once recalled, remembering what it felt like to be a young sailor facing the unimaginable with nothing but courage in his heart.

That day would draw the United States into World War II, and Clarence would spend nearly the entire war serving in the Pacific. Reassigned to VP-44, he served as flight crew when called, helped establish radio controlled drone operations on Oahu’s western shore, and later volunteered for duty in England. Wherever he was needed, he answered without hesitation.

When the war ended, his connection to aviation never did. After working in the oil fields of southeast Kansas, he built a career with Boeing Aircraft Company, dedicating his life to the skies. Even in retirement, his passion never faded. “Full time hobby now is still flying,” he once said with a smile. “Only with Microsoft Flight Simulator. Grand old bird.”

For decades, he rarely spoke about December 7. The memories were heavy and personal. But in 2001, at the 60th anniversary, he returned to Ford Island. Standing on the very ground where fire once rained down, his voice trembled as he shared his experience. His family watched as a man who had quietly carried history for years finally allowed the emotion to surface. In that moment, the weight of remembrance could be seen in his tears.

With Clarence’s passing, another living connection to that day of infamy is gone. Yet his bravery, dedication, and love of country will never be forgotten.

Fair winds and following seas, sailor. 🇺🇸⚓🕊️