Over the course of his long life, Raymond Haerry never wanted to talk about what happened that day. The day of infamy. The day 1,177 of his fellow sailors lost their lives aboard the USS Arizona.

The day that entered the United States into the Second World War, and altered the course of world history.

In death, however, the proud U.S. Navy veteran wants to lie, in peace, with his fallen brothers, in the solemn tomb of the sunken battleship.

Haerry, who died recently at the age of 94, was just 19 at the time of the attack. Acting fast on board, he ran to get ammo to load into an anti-aircraft gun when a bomb went off nearby, severing the bow and lifting the vessel high into the air.

His son recounts the tale, as he recalls his father telling it, for the Associated Press:

Haerry, Jr. said his father swam through flaming waters, sweeping his arms in front of him to push flames away. He shot at Japanese planes from shore. Later, he helped retrieve corpses from the harbor.

[He] cried as he recounted his father’s story.

“It had to be a nightmare,” he said. “Even though war hadn’t been declared yet, he was one of the first American heroes of World War II and I’ll always be proud of him, what he did and how he acted.

According to the AP, Haerry Jr. wants to inter his father’s ashes on the ship, but can’t afford the trip to Hawaii at the moment (he resides in Rhode Island).

The Arizona Republic reports that, with Haerry’s passing, there are now only five remaining Arizona survivors: Donald Stratton, 94, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Ken Potts, 95, of Provo, Utah; Lonnie Cook, 95, of Morris, Oklahoma; Lou Conter, 95, of Grass Valley, California and Lauren Bruner, 95, of La Mirada, California.

UPDATE: A patriot has established a GoFundMe page to get Haerry, Jr. to Hawaii and inter his father’s ashes. You can contribute to the cause by clicking here.