Frank Mirabella was supposed to be among the last wave of soldiers assaulting the beach of Iwo Jima during the United State's decisive invasion of the Japanese island during World War II.

But when a kamikaze pilot hit his ship, Mirabella, a member of the U.S. Army, instead became one of the few soldiers to join the Marines in the third wave of the attack. Unexpectedly thrust into battle, Mirabella was relieved when a Marine who noticed him grabbed the soldier and told him to follow him into combat.

Mirabella would survive the battle for the island, one of the United States' most pivotal victories in the Pacific theater. Decades later, he agreed to share his story with the West Point Center for Oral History, which has amassed an archive of audio and video interviews with U.S. military members.

Were it not for his 2016 interview with David Siry, the director of the center, Mirabella's harrowing experiences may have been lost with him when he died within a year.

While tens of thousands of Americans who served in the global conflict are still living, many are well into their 90s or have even surpassed their 100th birthdays. As World War II veterans age, historians at the center have been desperately collecting their firsthand accounts "any chance we get" before they're gone, Siry said.

“Capturing their story from their perspective is extremely important for future historians and people in the future who are interested in hearing about what happened,” Siry said in a phone interview with USA TODAY. "Every interview is like a piece of a mosaic.” 

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Those who served in WWII are America's oldest living vets

Ever since the last American veteran of World War I died in 2011, World War II has been the oldest foreign conflict with U.S. veterans who are still living.

But survivors of the war are aging, and each year far fewer of them remain alive.

Of the 16.1 million Americans who served in the global conflict, little more than 119,000 are still living as of this year, according to the National World War II Museum. An average of 131 of them are dying each day, the museum estimates, citing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics.

Veterans Day ceremonies across the nation of course honor those military members who served in wars long past and more recent. But as America's oldest living veterans, those who served in World War II hold a special place of recognition for many organizations like Veterans of Foreign Wars that on Saturday will hold ceremonies.

Extolling World War II veterans as "our oldest symbols of valor and determination," VFW National Commander Duane Sarmiento told USA TODAY that Veterans Day should be seen as a duty of Americans "to honor this fading generation."

“Members of America’s Greatest Generation are the elders of our veteran community," Sarmiento said in a statement. “Our world as it exists today would be a much darker place without their many contributions and sacrifice.”

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Word War II veterans: 'Witnesses to history'

Mirabella, the veteran of the Pacific War, is one of nearly 90 World War II veterans who have been interviewed by historians with the West Point Center for Oral History.

Another was Vincent Speranza, a legendary paratrooper who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and the Siege of Bastogne, key engagements that were part of the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front before the Allied victory.

Speranza, who also gained recognition in 2019 when at 90 years old he parachuted over France to commemorate the Allied landings in Normandy, sat down for three interviews between 2014 and 2016 with the center. Spiry counts himself as fortunate to have conducted the center's last conversation with Speranza before his death in August.

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People such as Speranza and Mirabella can serve as key “witnesses to history" before their deaths, Scott Granger, deputy director for the center, told USA TODAY.

"Their experiences help us fill in gaps in historical record, and everyone’s perspective is a little bit different,” Granger said. “They’re participants (in history,) but they also talked about things they experienced.”

Located in New Orleans, the National WWII Museum is similarly dedicated to gathering and preserving first-person accounts of those who served overseas in the war. The Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum features a variety of exhibits displaying historic artifacts, multimedia experiences and a collection of first-person oral histories.

“(That mission) has been at the heart of our institution since its founding,” Stephen J. Watson, museum president and CEO, said in a statement. “We have the enormous responsibility to ensure that the memories and experiences of the war will not be lost as those who lived through it leave this world.”

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]