Robert 'Bob' Batterson, Pearl Harbor survivor and USS Lexington volunteer, dies at 102
Retired United States Navy Capt. Robert "Bob" Batterson, a familiar face at the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, died Friday, Aug. 11.
The last known Pearl Harbor survivor in the Coastal Bend area was 102.
Batterson enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was assigned ashore at the Naval Station Pearl Harbor when the attack happened Dec. 7, 1941. He later earned his wings as a Naval Aviator at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in 1944 and finished out the war as a F6F Hellcat fighter pilot.
He retired from the Navy in 1974 after 35 years of service.
The museum announced his death in a Facebook post Sunday.
Steve Banta, the USS Lexington's executive director, said the entire team's condolences go out to Batterson's family.
Batterson had been volunteering at the USS Lexington since it became a museum in 1992. Banta said he was the second person to sign up and volunteer.
"He immediately wanted to be a part of the Lex," Banta said. "His main station here was at the Pearl Harbor exhibit where he would tell stories and talk to people about his service and the war."
Banta said Batterson would then ask people how are they going to get involved. How will they help their community?
"He wasn't telling them to go join the military, it was him showing them that there are many ways to serve your community," Banta said. "Even if all you were going to do was vote, he wanted people to give back. He always had that message — service your community. It was very positive, just like him."
According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have statistics for how many Pearl Harbor survivors are still living. But department data show that of the 16 million who served in World War II, only about 240,000 were alive as of August 2022 and some 230 die each day.
The youngest servicemen in the 1941 attacks, who were 17 years old, would be turning 99 this year.
Funeral service details will be released at a later date, once those are available, Banta said.
As for how the USS Lexington will commemorate Batterson, Banta said a display has been in the works for a while. In the Pearl Harbor exhibit, patrons will soon be able to hear a recording of Batterson telling his story of Pearl Harbor.
Banta said he was hoping to unveil it when Batterson was still "here with us," but will share it with the community in the future soon.
"He was right there with us in partnership creating this," Banta said. "It's something we're looking forward to showing everyone. Bob will always be part of the ship. Always."
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: 'Robert 'Bob' Batterson, Pearl Harbor survivor, dies at 102
