Pearl Harbor survivor, Steve Jager, 'kept their memory alive'
One of the region's few remaining survivors of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 died Sunday.
Steve Jager, 94, of New Kensington kept alive the memory of waking up to the blasts of the Japanese bombs, retelling his war tale to rapt audiences in local schools, VFWs and anywhere else people would listen.
“He liked going to local schools on veteran holidays to talk to the students about Pearl Harbor and trying to tell them about the war — that was his passion,” said his stepdaughter, Dolores Nagy, 82, of Springdale.
Like many World War II veterans, Jager didn't talk about his war experiences until later in life. And, for him, it came at the urging of a Valley Middle School teacher many years ago.
“(She) instilled in me the thought that I'm indebted to the guys who died,” Jager told a Valley News Dispatch reporter in 2011. “Since I'm alive, I think I should keep their memory alive.”
And talk he did at many schools and events throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley.
A living lesson in history, Jager easily conveyed the danger and surprise of the Peal Harbor attack: “When the bombs hit that morning, they were close enough to our building that (it) ... was shaken and the flames were shooting up into the air, and I didn't know what in the world it was,” Jager said.
He served as a sergeant in the Army assigned to the Hawaiian Department of Defense-Communication Division at the Schofield Barracks during the attack.
“The response and respect he got from kids was unbelievable,” said Diane Tomayko, 50, of Harrison, his granddaughter.
“That is what he lived for and I think that is what accounts for him, living to 94 years of age,” she said. “He was a great speaker, and he was smart. Even in the hospital, he still remembered the nurses' names.”
Jager often wore his Pearl Harbor hat whenever he left the house, which led many strangers to walk up to him and thank him, according to family.
Once, a couple from Punxsutawney paid for this lunch and left the restaurant without leaving their names, Tomayko said.
“These kind things that people did for him made him feel special, and he never expected that,” she said.
Tomayko said Jager was especially surprised when he was honored for his military service during a Steelers game at Heinz Field, she added.
Jager's love of telling the story of Pearl Harbor is legend.
“He loved to talk — he was my main speaker,” said Bob McClosky, 88, of New Kensington, who organizes the annual World War II banquet at the VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell.
“There aren't many who still tell the stories anymore,” said Dale Hensel, senior vice commander of the VFW in Lower Burrell.
Only about 25 World War II veterans remain in the Lower Burrell VFW out of a membership of more than 800.
The diminishing number of veterans who make it a point to keep telling the public their war stories “reminds everybody that there have been sacrifices, made to keep this country free and safe and these guys are the leaders, and there aren't too many of them left,” Hensel said.
“Steve was a great guy who shared his experiences and time with all, especially children,” said Jim Anderson, past commander of American Legion Post 764 in Springdale.
“He will be sorely missed.”
Obituary appears on page A4.
Mary Ann Thomas is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.
