75th anniversary of WWII’s end is muted
HONOLULU (AP) — When Japanese military leaders climbed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on Sept. 2, 1945, the battleship was packed with US sailors eager to see the end of World War II.
On Wednesday, the 75th anniversary of the surrender, some of those same men who served the United States will not be able to return to the Missouri in Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor because of the world’s new war against the Coronavirus.
The commemoration initially was supposed to be a blockbuster event with parades through Waikiki, movie premieres, galas and thousands of people gathered to honor the veterans, some who may be marking the historic milestone for the last time.
Now, only about 50 people will be on the ship that hosted the surrender in 1945, all local veterans and government officials. Defense Secretary Mark Esper will give the keynote address.
Organizers limited the ceremony less than two weeks before the anniversary because of a surge in Coronavirus cases in Hawaii and other parts of the nation. That leaves dozens of veterans who are in their 90s or beyond preparing for what could be their final salute from afar.
Jerry Pedersen, 95, was a US Marine on the deck of the Missouri witnessing the end of World War II. But on the 75th anniversary, Pedersen and his surviving comrades who live on the mainland will be watching a livestream of the event from their homes instead of seeing it in person on the ship as they had planned.
“Well, I was very disappointed, yes. I was hoping to maybe see a friend or two,” he said.
Those feelings are complicated, said Pedersen, who dedicated his life to peace after the war ended.
“War must not happen again,” he said, recalling the words uttered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur on the day the Japanese surrendered.