It is with the deepest sadness that we must share that USS Indianapolis Survivor Cleatus Lebow passed away earlier today.

Cleatus, 98, was a lifelong Texas resident, having grown up with 8 brothers and sisters in Abernathy. As a teen, he joined the Navy and was shortly thereafter assigned to USS Indianapolis in January of 1944. He helped the ship earn 7 of her 10 battle stars. Cleatus was a Fire Controlman 3rd class who worked as a gunnery range-finder for most of those battles including Marianas, Tinian, Iwo Jima, and the pre-bombardment of Okinawa.

Following the war, Lebow returned home to Abernathy and worked for the telephone company, where his military experience was helpful. He worked in various locations in that field for 35 years prior to retiring. He became an integral member of the USS Indianapolis Survivors Organization and attended many reunions through the following decades, honoring his shipmates and sharing their stories with everyone he could.

With his passing, there is one remaining USS Indianapolis survivor, Harold Bray, Jr.

Today would be the 100th birthday of my fathers double first cousin Radioman Second Class Arthur Cecil Trotter, lost at sea in the sinking of USS Indianapolis July 30, 1945 at age 22.

Movie on it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102455/

HEART the commercials!

For a "made for TV" movie "Mission of the Shark" did an excellent job of telling the Indianapolis story. Terrible title however.

I agree.It got me thinkimg of a shark horror movie.

The last living survivor of USS Indianapolis 95 year old Harold Bray with his shark motif water cup.

Happy 96th Birthday to Harold Bray

Happy Birthday sir!

Overcoming 78 years of enmity, two "last survivors" on each side of World War II have shared messages of peace, as a veteran in this west Japan city received a letter from a former U.S. naval officer on June 10.

Kunshiro Kiyozumi, who resides in the town of Masaki, Ehime Prefecture, is the last surviving crew member from the I-58, a submarine in the former Imperial Japanese Army's fleet that sunk the United States Navy's USS Indianapolis.

The USS Indianapolis heavy cruiser was sunk by torpedoes launched from the I-58 on July 30, 1945, in the Philippine Sea right after completing its mission to deliver parts for the "Little Boy" nuclear warhead to a U.S. base on Tinian Island in the Marianas. This weapon was dropped by the U.S. on the Japanese city of Hiroshima weeks later.

On June 10, the now 94-year-old Kiyozumi received a letter from California resident Harold Bray, the last surviving crewman from USS Indianapolis. Bray, who was just 14-years-old when the war broke out, wrote, "There are no winners in a war," and, "Let us look forward to working together to build a better, safer world."

According to sources including the official organization that represents the Indianapolis' survivors and the families of those lost in the attack, of the 1,195 onboard, about 800 men went into the water, and 316 were rescued after several days at sea. Twenty-two of the survivors were still alive as of 2017, but now, Bray stands alone.

What brought about the connection between the two survivors was an exhibition on the theme of peace held by the Imabari City Library at its central library building in August 2022. The exhibit featured materials such as interview photos of Kiyozumi, who, at 17, was the I-58's youngest crewmember when it embarked on its wartime mission. Izumi Tagawa Harris, a 57-year-old faculty member at Indiana University's Indianapolis campus, found an article about the exhibit online. Harris, who has been communicating with an association that represents the survivors of the USS Indianapolis and the families of those whose lives were lost at sea in the attack, notified the association about the article.

Harris was entrusted with messages from Bray and four of the association's families before visiting Japan to prepare a peace-themed tour of Hiroshima and Nagasaki scheduled for U.S. university students next summer, with the assistance of the Japan Foundation, a public body that promotes cultural exchanges.

Harris gave Bray's letter to Kiyozumi at the library, along with photos of the now-96-year-old smiling. After reading the message, Kiyozumi smiled and said, "I'm happy to know he and I shared the same feelings," adding, "War is nothing but a waste. We must never let people kill each other."

Bray's letter is as follows:

Dear Mr. Kiyozumi,

My name is Harold Bray and I am the last survivor of the USS Indianapolis CA-35. I understand that you are the last survivor of your submarine, I-58.
I want to extend my hand in friendship to you and to tell you that I bear no ill will towards you or your fellow countrymen. We both fought for our countries and now that the war is over, this is a time for healing. There are no winners in a war. Both sides lose so much - shipmates, families, friends.
I offer my thanks to your Captain Hashimoto for speaking up for my Captain McVay and saying that his court martial was unjust. Let us look forward to working together to build a better, safer world.

Sincerely,
Harold J Bray, S2
USS Indianapolis CA-35

Article Credits:
IMABARI, Ehime
THE MAINICHI, Japan’s National Daily, June 18, 2023

That's a fantastic story F4U. Thanks for posting it.

Truly a great read and superb thread,

For some1 like myself that has never been to the states these type of stories are very interesting.

A great read...

Benicia, CA - Northern California chief petty officer (CPO) selectees chat with Harold Bray, the last USS Indianapolis (CA 35) survivor at his home on Sept. 27, 2023. After the CPO selectees sang Anchors Aweigh, Bray, 96, discussed circumstances related to the Indianapolis sinking including surviving in shark infested waters for five days and his direct contributions to saving the lives of 18 Sailors. Bray further discussed his love of the Navy and gave the CPO selectees advice on how to maximize their military careers. The 24 Navy northern California CPOs selectees and one Marine honorary CPO selectee are from Navy Reserve Center (NRC) Alameda, NRC Sacramento, NRC San Jose, and Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 3 Detachment Travis Air Force Base. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Pearl)

Those are some great photos!

What Panzer said !!


Wheels