Ariel Roblin: World War II hero Lou Conter reminds the next generation never to forget
Lou Conter is a hero who will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial later this month, leaving us all his story and reminding the next generation to never forget.
Lou Conter is a hero who will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial later this month, leaving us all his story and reminding the next generation to never forget.
Lou Conter is a hero who will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial later this month, leaving us all his story and reminding the next generation to never forget.
Everyone has a story.
Lou Conter was a World War II hero and the last survivor of the U.S.S Arizona, which was attacked in Pearl Harbor. He died earlier this month in Grass Valley at the age of 102.
Conter was only 18 when he enlisted in the Navy. He survived World War II, the Korean War and many near-death missions, finally retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1967.
He never forgot the brave sailors he served with and spent the next eight decades honoring those killed on Dec. 7, 1941.
It was his mission to keep their stories alive. He attended remembrance ceremonies yearly until deep into his 90s when he could no longer travel to Hawaii.
He even joked that he had a competition with his shipmate, Ken Potts, about who would be the last survivor from the U.S.S Arizona. It was Lou.
KCRA 3 was lucky enough to be invited to Lou's 102 birthday party in Grass Valley last fall.
He was celebrated by family and friends and honored by the state of California. And now President Biden has honored Conter, saying that "America lost a hero."
He's a hero who will be remembered by family and friends at a memorial later this month, leaving us all his story and reminding the next generation to never forget.