PHOENIX (KNXV) — Jack Holder, a Valley resident and survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, died at the age of 101, according to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
A friend of Holder confirmed to ABC15 that he died Friday.
Holder, a US Navy pilot, was one of the last surviving Pearl Harbor veterans. After surviving the Pearl Harbor attack, he flew in over 100 missions including the Battle of Midway and received dozens of medals and commendations honoring his service.
Holder took a flight over the Superstition Mountains in December 2021 in honor of his 100th birthday.
At the time, he said his secret to staying young was exercise and alcohol.
"Good heart exercise and two scotch and sodas every night," he said.
That year, he also traveled to Hawaii for the 80th commemoration of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. It was his fifth time attending the event.
"It's always nice to come back," Holder told ABC15 of his trip to Hawaii. "I enjoy it. It brings back some of the horrors of course. But, I have never been bothered with any nightmares or things like that."
“The first bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor was about 100 yards from me,” Holder said, according to the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
The Pearl Harbor National Memorial said Sunday that Holder was interested in flight and joined the Navy in 1940. He was honorably discharged in 1948.
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