Dozens of WWII veterans to gather in Hawaii

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII >>

Several dozen aging U.S. veterans, including some who were in Tokyo Bay as swarms of warplanes buzzed overhead and nations converged to end World War II, will gather on a battleship in Pearl Harbor next month to mark the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, even if it means the vulnerable group may be risking their lives again amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 75th anniversary was meant to be a blockbuster event, and the veterans have been looking forward to it for years. There were to be thousands of people watching in Hawaii as parades marched through Waikiki, vintage warbirds flying overhead, and gala dinners to honor the veterans.

Now, most in-person celebrations have been canceled over fears the virus could infect the veterans, who range from 90 to 101. But about 200 people, mostly veterans, their families and government officials, will still commemorate the milestone on the USS Missouri, which hosted the surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay.

It comes as Oahu — Hawaii’s most populated island and the home of Pearl Harbor — has seen an alarming spike in coronavirus cases in the past two weeks, forcing many restrictions to be reinstated, including a ban on gatherings of more than five people and the closure of all beaches.

“I’ve been told what I need to do in order to be responsible for myself but also toward others,” said World War II veteran Jerry Pedersen, who was aboard the USS Missouri and watched the Japanese surrender. “I can’t hug the people that I’d like to hug.”

Pedersen, who will be coming from Sacramento for the commemoration, turned 95 Wednesday.

“No, I’m not concerned particularly,” he said. “If we would do in life everything the way we’ve been told to handle this pandemic, we’d come through it pretty good.”

Officials plan to keep the veterans socially distanced while they are honored in front of livestreaming cameras instead of live crowds of thousands, as first was planned.