Former US President JF Kennedy’s surviving rescuer has died at his home village at the age of 94 yesterday.
The brave Aaron (Eroni) Kumana was one of the two brave Solomon Island scouts during the height of the WWII recognised for saving the life of US former president John F Kennedy.
For without the two brave men, JF Kennedy and his crew would have died on the island now called Kennedy Island just off Gizo in the western province.
Late Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa were from the Western province of the Solomon Island, who found John F. Kennedy and his surviving PT-109 crew following the boat’s collision with the Japanese destroyer Amagiri near Plum Pudding Island on 1 August 1943.
Although details of his death are not known, the late Kumana was reported to have died after a long illness in his home village.
He is survived by his children and grand-children.
The other JF Kennedy rescuer the late Biuku Gasa died before late Kumana on 23 November 2005.
By DANIEL NAMOSUAIA