Ozarks survivor of Pearl Harbor dies

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The last known Pearl Harbor survivor living in the Ozarks has died.

The Springfield News-Leader reported William Martin died last week at age 90. His family said Martin died in the Missouri Veterans Home in Mount Vernon.

Martin was 18 when Japanese planes bombed a U.S. naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Martin, a gunner's mate on the USS Nevada, told the News-Leader in 2010, he had plans to tour the Hawaiian island early that morning, but when the planes attacked he said he jumped behind his anti-aircraft gun and started firing. He lost one eye in the attack, and was awarded the Purple Heart in 1988.

Martin spent six months recovering in a San Francisco hospital before being discharged from the Navy and returning to Springfield.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com