Survivor of USS Arizona Died in Tyler at 91

TYLER (AP) – One of only 15 Marines to survive the 1941 attack on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor has died at a Tyler hospice. Lamar Crawford Sr. was 91. Rev. Paul Howell, who conducted funeral services in Tyler Wednesday, described Crawford as a quiet man with a deep faith and trust in the Lord.

Crawford, who died last week, was born in Union County, Arkansas. He joined the Marines in 1940. On December 7, 1941, he was at his battle station just below the crow’s nest on the Arizona’s rear tower when the ship exploded and began sinking. He dove into the water and was rescued by sailors in a small boat. Crawford worked as a postal inspector after the war, retiring in 1976.