A witness to date of ‘infamy’
104-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor still telling his piece of history
TJapanese plane was bearing down on retired Navy Lt. Jim Downing and his colleagues at Pearl Harbor, the sound of machine gun fire ringing in his ears just as he hit the dirt, penetrating the ground behind him.
The surprise and shock he initially felt morphed into fear — he knew the next plane would be more accurate.
What followed amazed the 104-year-old Downing, the second-oldest known living Pearl Harbor survivor.
“Men without leadership, training, did the right thing at the right time without concern for their safety,” Downing said.
Downing, who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is in Las Vegas on the 76th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. He was in Oahu to commemorate the Pearl Harbor anniversary and flew in Monday.
Downing, named the oldest male author by The Guinness Book of World Records, is on a book tour
PEARL HARBOR Men without leadership, training, did the right thing at the right time without concern for their safety.
tain as we have before, including using de-icing products on the roads when necessary,” county spokesman Dan Kulin said in a written statement. “Public safety remains our priority on the mountain and this practice makes our roads safer for our first responders, residents and visitors alike.”
Roughly 300 tons of the de-icing salt has been dumped on the mountain each winter since state and county road crews began using a more concentrated form of the product about five years ago.
As a result, Mack said, the water in the Rainbow well shows seasonal increases in chloride levels that coincide with periods of snowmelt on the mountain.
Some researchers and mountain residents also blame de-icing salt for weakening and killing trees along the highway and in some neighborhoods.
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @Refriedbrean on Twitter.