CLARKSVILLE, Ga. — Retired Army Captain Ken Schubring was there when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. At 103 years old, he is one of only 13 American veterans of that attack still alive, and his memories remain razor sharp.
"Very sharp. Something like that, you can't forget," Schubring told CBS News' Jim Axelrod when asked about his memories nearly 84 years later.
Unlike most Americans who have experienced Pearl Harbor through historical accounts and documentaries, Schubring was there. He witnessed the Japanese attack firsthand and can still identify the aircraft that changed the course of American history.
"I knew they were Aichi 99's and they had a red circle underneath the wing and a red circle on the fuselage, and that was Japanese," Schubring said.
Now 103 and going strong, Schubring is determined that December 7th will never become just another day on the calendar.
"If that's gonna happen, it's gonna happen over, I don't want to say my dead body, might be," he said.
His children, Betsy Crossley and Ken Schubring Jr., revere their father not just for his Pearl Harbor service, but for his dedication throughout World War II from the first day to the last. Schubring was on a bombing run when he received word of Japan's surrender.
"My hero," Crossley said when asked to describe her father.
"He's my rock," Schubring Jr. added.
After the war, Schubring returned to his home in Athens, Georgia, where he continued his service as school board president, pushing to integrate schools in the turbulent post-war South. This stance brought criticism and social isolation.
"People probably never speak to me again for the rest of their life," Schubring recalled about the pushback he received.
"You may have had the last laugh on that one," I noted.
"Yeah, probably did," he replied.
Schubring Jr. remembered the difficult times: "I remember getting called a lot of bad things, but my dad never wavered."
Today, Schubring's children work with "The Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors" to ensure the story of the attack continues to be told after the last survivors are gone.
"Lest we forget, is our motto," Crossley said.
When asked what they don't want people to forget, the family was unified in their response.
"The sacrifice," Schubring Jr. said.
"Absolutely," Crossley agreed.
"I mean, the sacrifice that was given you can't put a price on that, and you can't forget it," Schubring Jr. continued.
As we mark this day that still lives in infamy, Schubring's words serve as a powerful reminder: "You can't forget it." And for all who were there, two more words are equally important: "Thank you."
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