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A day of remembering

Pearl Harbor survivors mark the attack for the 66th time and dedicate a memorial.

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - A few dozen graying Pearl Harbor survivors observed a moment of silence on Friday in honor of their comrades who perished in the Japanese bombing of Oahu 66 years ago.

Wearing aloha shirts and orchid flower lei, the veterans stood on a pier overlooking the sunken hull of the USS Arizona and saluted the flag as a sailor sang The Star Spangled Banner.

Survivors of each of the nine battleships bombed in the attack took turns setting wreaths before life preservers bearing the names of their ships.

"We're honoring the people who were killed. We're not here for ourselves, we're here for them," said George A. Smith, 83, who was on board the USS Oklahoma the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

Overall, 2,388 Americans died in the attacks, including some 900 entombed in the Arizona.

Hawaii Air National Guard helicopters flew over the harbor in "missing man" formation in honor of those lost. B-2 stealth bombers currently deployed to Guam from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri performed an additional flyby.

The crowd of about 2,000 honored the survivors with a standing ovation and several minutes of loud applause.

Smith was among 18 survivors of the Oklahoma who came to Hawaii to help dedicate a new memorial to the vessel after the main ceremony. The Oklahoma lost 429 sailors and Marines.

The $1.2-million monument includes 429 white marble standards, each with the name of a fallen sailor or Marine, surrounded by black granite panels etched with a silhouette of the battleship and notable quotes from World War II-era figures.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Tucker McHugh, who co-chaired the USS Oklahoma Memorial Committee, said he thinks the memorial will bring closure.

"I think there's been a void in the minds and hearts of these shipmates that their shipmates were never honored with a lasting memorial," he said. "Total closure might come when the last survivor passes away and they're all reunited together."

[Last modified December 8, 2007, 01:19:39]