World War II veterans mark 60th anniversary of Japanese surrender

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -- James Starnes will never forget the day World War II officially ended with Japan's formal surrender.

He was only 24 on Sept. 2, 1945, when Japanese officials boarded the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay and signed the documents.

"It was a tremendous emotional moment," Starnes told some 2,000 veterans, family members and guests who gathered Friday at the Missouri to observe the 60th anniversary of the event.

"It was such a relief to know that war was over, that peace had come."

The Missouri, converted into a memorial in 1998, sits a few hundred yards from the USS Arizona Memorial, which straddles the battleship that sank Dec. 7, 1941, in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The war ended on Aug. 15, 1945, when Emperor Hirohito conceded defeat in a radio address to his countrymen. It officially came to a close with the signing of the surrender documents.

On Friday, Hawaii Air National Guard fighter jets flew above the Missouri in the missing man formation while Marines fired a 21-gun salute.

Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the Pacific Fleet, advised younger generations to keep alive the legacy of veterans who made sacrifices.

"As the events of World War II pass further into history, the deeds of so many must not fade in the hearts and minds of those who carry on," Roughead said. "Our memories must remain a sharp and distinct reminder of what we oppose, of what we cherish, and of the sacrifice that is required to preserve freedom."

Some 17 million troops died in the war, including more than 400,000 Americans. Millions more civilians perished.

Starnes and other veterans recalled the Tokyo Bay ceremony, presided over by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, as solemn.

And they echoed the hopeful words of MacArthur, replayed in Hawaii on a scratchy recording Friday, that "a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past."

Jiro Yukimura, 84, watched the surrender as an Army escort to the media covering MacArthur.

"There was a feeling that this was the end of fighting and from now on we can hopefully look toward enjoying peace," said Yukimura, one of three Japanese-American servicemen aboard the Missouri during the surrender. "But you know what happened right after that -- the Korean War starts, and then the Vietnam War. So it's a very sad thing."