Ceremony honors those killed in 1941 Pearl Harbor attack
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — More than 2,000 people attended a ceremony Saturday to remember those killed when Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor 78 years ago and launched the U.S. into World War II.
Organizers of the public event at the Hawaii naval base say attendees included about a dozen survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, the youngest of whom are now in their late 90s.
Herb Elfring, 97, of Jackson, Mich., said being back at Pearl Harbor reminds him of all those who have lost their lives.
“It makes you think of all the servicemen who have passed ahead of me. As a Pearl Harbor survivor, I’m one of the last chosen few I guess.” He’s the only member of his old regiment still living.
Elfring was in the Army, assigned to the 251st Coast Artillery, part of the California National Guard. The unit’s job was to protect airfields but they weren’t expecting an attack that morning.
Elfring was standing at the edge of his barracks at Camp Malakole a few miles down the coast from Pearl Harbor, reading a bulletin board when Japanese Zero planes flew over. “I could hear it coming but didn’t pay attention to it until the strafing bullets were hitting the pavement about 15 feet away from me,” he said.
A moment of silence was held at 7:55 a.m., the same time the assault began. U.S. Air Force F22 fighter jets flying overhead in missing man formation broke the quiet.
Retired Navy Adm. Harry Harris, currently the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, was scheduled to deliver remarks, along with Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.
The ceremony comes on the heels of two deadly shootings at Navy bases this week, one at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and another at Naval Air
Station Pensacola in Florida.
Rear Adm. Robert Chadwick, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, said the military community has received an outpouring of love and support from Hawaii after the shooting at “our beloved shipyard” earlier this week.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the victims and everyone affected,” Chadwick said.
A Pearl Harbor National Memorial spokesman said security was beefed up as usual for the annual event.
The 1941 aerial assault killed more than 2,300 U.S. troops. Nearly half — or 1,177 — were Marines and sailors serving on the USS Arizona, a battleship moored in the harbor. The vessel sank within nine minutes of being hit, taking most of its crew down with it.
Lou Conter, 98, was the only survivor from the USS Arizona to make it to this year’s ceremony. Two other survivors are still living. Conter was sick last year and couldn’t come. He said he likes to attend to remember those who lost their lives.
“It’s always good to come back and pay respect to them and give them the top honors that they deserve,” Conter said.