PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Surprise, fear, anger and pride. That's what Pearl Harbor survivor Jim Downing recalls about the attack that plunged the U.S. into World War II.

Downing plans to return to Pearl Harbor Wednesday with other survivors to mark the 75th anniversary of the attack that left more than 2,300 service people dead. Thousands of servicemen and women and members of the public are also expected to attend the ceremony.

Downing, a 103-year-old resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, served on the USS West Virginia, which lost 106 men. He says he spent two hours fighting fires and checking the name tags of the dead so he could write their families personal notes about how they died.

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