PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — A few dozen survivors of PearlHarbor and other veterans gathered Tuesday at the site of the bombing 80 yearsago to remember those killed in the attack by Japan that launched the U.S. intoWorld War II. The USS Chung-Hoon, a guided missile destroyer, passed infront of the pier with its sailors "manning the rails," or lining the ship'sedge, to honor the World War II veterans present. David Russell, a 101-year-old from Albany, Oregon, whosurvived the attack while on the USS Oklahoma, stood to salute to the destroyeron behalf of the veterans. Herb Elfring, 99, said he was glad to return to Pearl Harborconsidering he almost didn't live through the aerial assault. "It was just plain good to get back and be able toparticipate in the remembrance of the day," Elfring told reporters over theweekend. Elfring was in the Army, assigned to the 251st Coast Artillery,part of the California National Guard on Dec. 7, 1941. He recalled Japaneseplanes flying overhead and bullets strafing his Army base at Camp Malakole, afew miles down the coast from Pearl Harbor. Elfring, who lives in Jackson, Michigan, said he hasreturned to Hawaii about 10 times to attend the annual memorial ceremony hostedby the Navy and the National Park Service. About 30 survivors and about 100 other veterans of the warjoined him this year. Veterans stayed home last year due to the coronaviruspandemic and watched a livestream of the event instead. Most attendees thisyear wore masks. They observed a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the sameminute the attack began decades ago. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro recounted in his keynoteaddress how Petty Officer 1st Class Joe George tossed a line to the USS Arizonathat six men trapped by fire in the battleship's control tower used to cross tohis ship, the USS Vestal. Five of the six survived. Among them was DonaldStratton of Red Cloud, Nebraska, who died last year. Del Toro said he recentlymet with Stratton's family. "We sometimes talk about our victory in World War II asthough it was inevitable. Only a matter of time. But there was nothinginevitable about one sailor's decision to toss that line," Del Toro said. He said it took millions of individual acts of valor andcourage at home and overseas to get the nation through the war. The bombing killed more than 2,300 U.S.