Edgar Harrell died on Saturday, May 8, 2021. He was ninety-six years old. He was the last surviving United States Marine who was on the USS Indianapolis when it was torpedoed and sunk on July 30, 1945, after it had completed its mission to the island of Tinian, delivering the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima.
He not only survived the sinking but, for good measure, floating and swimming in shark-infested waters for five days thereafter. Nine hundred men went into the water. By the time help arrived, only three hundred and sixteen had survived.
In 2020, Edgar Harrell and the seven other surviving members of the Indianapolis crew received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since that group of eight extraordinary gentlemen was so honored, three of them have died, including James Smith, who served on the ship longer than anyone else, who died just a few days prior to Edgar Harrell.
-AK
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