Millions of people visit Pearl Harbor each year. For most, it's a place they learned about in their history books, but for some veterans from Nevada, Pearl Harbor lives in them.

At the USS Arizona Memorial, World War II veteran Elmer Larsen got emotional, as the memories of the attack and the following days came flooding back.

"I can remember when I was 12 years old," he said. "I heard on the radio the day the war broke open. I was in Green Bay, Wisconsin."

Elmer Larsen is one of 20 veterans on the very first Honor Flight Nevada trip to Pearl Harbor. For 18 of them, World War II is their war. For many it was the events of December 7, 1941 that changed their lives. It was the start of a war, and it spurred a desire in them to fight for their country.

Bruce Robinson had joined the Navy just five months before the attack. In February 1942, he was in Pearl Harbor on assignment and what he saw is burned into his mind. .

"I can visualize that pretty clearly," he said. "I saw the harbor littered with everything- people, ships, oil. Everything was bad. No one could forget that. "

Back now 79 years later, those days are still fresh in his mind.

Everywhere in Pearl Harbor, reminders of that day and the sacrifices of those killed are seen or felt. At Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hikam, there's a place called the Courtyard of Heroes. It's typically off limits to civilians, but an exception is made for the Honor Flight Nevada group. Inside, a torch and memorial for those killed that day. Along the walls, there's damage from the bullets and shrapnel. It's left unfixed as a symbol of their sacrifice.

"I have to say it was a little emotional because it’s tough to think about," World War II veteran Bob LeGoy said. "There was one big attack."

These veterans may not be Pearl Harbor survivors, but they are survives of that devastating war. That fact is not lost on the dozens of visitors at the Pearl Harbor Memorial who stopped to thank some of the veterans.

"It’s kind of a big honor is really what it is," visitor Jason Cameron said. "Unexpected and really makes it more real."

It's not hard to be in Pearl Harbor and feel the realness of that day. The wreckage of the USS Utah and more famously the USS Arizona, both of which are the final resting places from more than a thousand veterans, for the gravity to set in.

The Honor Flight Nevada veterans continue their trip Friday, February 7, 2020 with a visit to the USS Missouri. There are other surprises and stops on this trip. Just a small way Honor Flight Nevada can say 'Thank you for your service'.