By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER, Associated Press
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Veterans who survived the Pearl Harbor attack are gathering for the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese bombing that launched the United States into World War II.
About 100 Pearl Harbor and World War II survivors are expected to attend Sunday’s ceremony. Many of them arrived well before the sun came up.
This is Gilbert Meyer’s 10th time attending the ceremony. But the 91-year-old USS Utah survivor says it’s getting harder to travel to Hawaii from San Antonio, Texas.
Many of Meyer’s comrades arrived with the help of canes, wheelchairs and motorized scooters. They were greeted with purple orchid lei.
A moment of silence was held at 7:55 a.m., the moment the bombing began in 1941.
Several thousand are expected to attend the public ceremony.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.