SCOTTSDALE, AZ — World War II Navy veteran Leonard Schwartz, who survived the sinking of his ship decades ago, turned 100 this month at his Scottsdale care facility.
"It’s just another day," Schwartz said.
The care team at Torbrook Manor shared that Schwartz is among the last survivors of the USS St. Lo.
Schwartz served as an aviation machinist in the Navy in October 1944. The ship was off the coast of the Philippines when it came under attack by enemy kamikazes. The USS St. Lo is believed to be the first major U.S. warship sunk by a deliberate kamikaze attack in World War II. More than 100 service members on board perished in the attack.
"I was lucky I wasn’t below deck," Schwartz said.
Once he abandoned ship, Schwartz faced threats from both aerial attacks and the water.
"I went down the line hand over hand," Schwartz said. "A lot slid and burned their hands. But I was a good swimmer."
He continued: "The only thing I worried about was sharks, but I figured the explosions probably scared them away."
When I asked how long he had been in the water, Schwartz said he did not know.
"I have no idea, but a long time," Schwartz said.
"I was lucky to be alive," he said, noting that another ship picked him up.
Schwartz showed me his honorable discharge before he was called back to serve on a different aircraft carrier during the Korean War.
After his service, Schwartz was set up on a blind date with a woman he would spend the next 72 years with. He told me she passed away earlier this year, and he misses her every day.
"She was a lovely lady," Schwartz said.
While some memories may have faded over the years, his love for the country has not faltered.
"I’m going to tell you we live in the best country in the world," Schwartz said.
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