The reunion of survivors of the USS Indianapolis could be the final large-scale gathering for the group. Many of those who survived the ship's sinking during WWII in 1945 are now in their 80s and 90s and too old to make such a commitment, a group member told The Associated Press.
Eighty-six-year-old Harold Bray of Benicia, Calif., was among the 317 members of the ship's nearly 1,200-person crew who survived the July 1945 sinking by a Japanese submarine and four days in shark-infested Pacific Ocean waters.
Urgent: Should Obamacare be Repealed? Vote Here Now
Bray says the 38 remaining survivors are now in their late 80s and early 90s and traveling to reunions is too taxing for many of them.
More than a dozen survivors are meeting Friday afternoon to decide whether to continue the annual reunions.
Bray says whatever their decision, the survivors will keep telling the story of the naval disaster and their survival for as long as possible.
Latest: Do You Support Giving Illegals Citizenship? Vote Here Now
Related stories:
German WWII Bomber Recovered From English Channel by British Museum
High-School Sweetheart Finds WWII Marine's Diary at Museum