Veterans mark 80th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii－The United States marked the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii on Tuesday.

A few dozen survivors and other veterans gathered at the site of the bombing to remember those killed in the attack that launched the US into World War II.

The guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon passed in front of the pier with its sailors "manning the rails", or lining the ship's edge, to honor the World War II veterans present.

Herb Elfring, 99, said he was glad to return to Pearl Harbor considering that he almost did not live through the aerial assault.

About 30 survivors and 100 other war veterans joined him this year. Veterans stayed home last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and watched a livestream of the event instead. Most attendees wore masks this year.

A moment of silence was observed at 7:55 am, the same minute the attack began 80 years ago.

President Joe Biden visited the World War II memorial in Washington early on Tuesday morning to observe the anniversary, saluting a wreath among the columns.

In Hawaii, a memorial ceremony at Pearl Harbor on Monday evening honored the 58 service members who died aboard the battleship USS Utah, one of the first ships hit in the attack.

Members of the US Navy, veterans, friends and family members stood as the names of those who died were read out, each accompanied by a tolling bell. The bugle call "Taps" then rang out near the site of the sinking. Several other remembrances organized by the National Park Service and the US Navy were planned to mark the day.

This year's ceremony took place as a strong storm with extremely heavy rains hit Hawaii, flooding roads and downing power lines. The ceremony was conducted under a pier with a metal roof. Skies were overcast, but it did not rain during the ceremony.

Agencies Via Xinhua