Admiral Joseph Prueher, commander in chief, U.S. Pacific
Command, speaks aboard the USS Missouri for the ceremony
commemorating the 53rd anniversary of the end of World War II.
USS Arizona
and Mighty Mo:
‘Together at last’
With the ships near
By Gregg K. Kakesako
each other, Inouye declares
'the circle is now complete'
Star-BulletinU.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said "the circle is now complete."
He referred to the dazzling white monument spanning the battleship USS Arizona, sunk during the attack that that triggered the start of World War II, and to the USS Missouri, now anchored just several hundred yards away on Battleship Row.
It was on the decks of the Missouri that more than a half century ago that Japan surrendered, ending the war in the Pacific. In his keynote address marking the 53rd anniversary of Japan's surrender, Inouye said: "She (USS Arizona) represents the pain of Dec. 7 and the clarion call which rang throughout this land, calling citizens to arms.
"The USS Missouri, which we celebrate today, is about an American victory."
Inouye, who is responsible for rescuing the Missouri from mothballs, added: "Together at last - the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. From pain to pride. From sacrifice to victory. The circle is now complete."
Inouye said the Missouri will ensure that "the legacy will live on. First, as a symbol of America's unity and victory, and our remembrance of those who stood in harm's way in defense of our great nation.
"Second, as a symbol our of contribution to world peace. And third, as an instrument of education to share with all who come aboard, about the sacrifices of war, the greatness of this ship, and of all who served her in rough and calm waters for over 50 years."
In prepared remarks Adm. Joseph Prueher, Pacific Forces commander, said today's ceremony is not about warships or wars. "It's about people. This ceremony is really a commemoration of Americans like Inouye, who earned the Distinguished Service Cross while fighting the Germans in Europe and lost his right arm."
Ray Johnson, 77, from Long Island, N.Y., stands aboard the
USS Missouri for the ceremony to commorate the 53rd
anniversary of the end of World War II. Johnson, as a
crew member, witnessed the signing of the
instrument of surrender.
Adm. Archie Clemins, Pacific Fleet commander, read a letter sent to him more than 50 years ago by his father, then a petty officer third class who was stationed on a ship that was part of the armada that accompanied the 'Mighty Mo' into Tokyo Bay. Archie Clemins Sr. wrote, "Now the day I am waiting for is when I can come home to you and your mother for good."Ray Johnson, 77, was present at the surrender 53 years ago. "All this brings back a lot," said Johnson, 77, who now lives in Long Island.
"The signing of the peace treaty was the biggest thrill of my life."
John P. Sullivan, a Missouri signalman 53 years ago, added: "I feel very humble and lucky to be here todayxxx I am still in awe."
Murray Yudelowitz, a gunner on the Missouri, said he watched s Gen. Douglas MacArthur sign the surrender document using five pens.
Like the other 99 other Missouri veterans who were present in Tokyo Bay and who attended today's commemoration ceremony, Yudelowitz was outfitted in the Navy's white "cracker jack" uniform.
More than 1,200 World War II veterans were crammed into the port side of the ship today, while 800 family members and friends were accommodated pier side at Ford Island. The turnout meant today's ceremony couldn't be held on the exact location where the surrender occurred since it was on the starboard side of the ship and can't be seen from the pier. "We had planned for 600 veterans, many of them to be at the same station on the battleship when the surrender occurred," said retired Vice Adm. Robert Kihune.
By George F. Leer, Star-Bulletin
Ikuko Yamamoto, a Japanese national, is shown holding a photo
of her late brother, Masao Morimoto, who helped pilot the USS Missouri
into Tokyo Bay in 1945. Yamamoto was aboard the "Mighty Mo" today
or ceremonies marking the 53rd anniversary of Japan's surrender.
Japan woman boards
‘Mighty Mo’Her brother helped pilot the ship into
By Gregg K. Kakesako
Tokyo Bay in 1945 for the surrender
Star-BulletinWhen Ikuko Yamamoto steps aboard the USS Missouri this morning, she will complete a search that began more than half century ago with the death of her brother.
The body of her brother, Masao Morimoto, was never found after he and 140 other people perished on June 21, 1948, when the ship he worked on sunk off the coast of Japan in a typhoon.
For decades the 72-year-old Japanese silver hair widow says she has felt a kinship with the "Mighty Mo" because Morimoto as a young Japanese Navy lieutenant commander help pilot the U.S. battleship into Tokyo Bay in 1945.
Yamamoto believes her brother was the only Japanese national other than those involved in the surrender ceremony on Sept. 2, 1945, allowed on the 887-foot battleship.
She and her daughter who helped her write letters to the Navy were among the guests at today's Pearl Harbor commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese that occurred on the decks of the Missouri.
More than 2,000 people, many of them World War II veterans and former crew members of the Missouri, lined the decks of the ship today to commemorate the end of the war in the Pacific.
They also heard a recording of part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's remarks delivered 53 years ago in which he said: "Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain death - the seas bear only commerce - men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight."
They listened while a 21-gun salute was rendered by a seven-
man Marine Corps rifle squad and while two Marine buglers played "Taps" on the forecastle of the Missouri. Overhead three F-15 Eagle jet fighters soared in tribute.
In a letter to Navy officials in January, Yamamoto said her brother viewed the surrender ceremony with mixed feelings. "As a pilot for the American ship, he took pride in helping the first step for the peace between two countries," Yamamoto said in her letter.
Judy Kamisugi, a Wahiawa relative, said Yamamoto, who doesn't speak any English, wanted to come to Hawaii and participate in today's ceremony "to pray for Masao, for the USS Arizona and the many people killed by Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor."
"She has so much love for her brother and she remembered all these years what he did on the Missouri that when the story of the Missouri coming to Hawaii was printed in newspapers in Japan, she felt that she had to come here," Kamisugi said.
It was Kamisugi who wrote to the USS Memorial Association last month for Yamamoto and got her a special invitation to visit the Missouri this morning.
Much of what Morimoto saw on Sept. 2, 1945, was recorded in his diary, which Yamamoto said another brother found five years ago.
In the diary, Morimoto wrote that it was difficult navigating the 887-foot battlewagon into Tokyo Bay because of the mines the Japanese Navy had scattered.
Yamamoto said her older brother joined the Japanese Navy when he was 18, but never left Japan during World War II. He served for about six years until he left to join a shipping company.
"He had been dreaming to be a captain of a ship someday," said Yamamoto in her letter to the Navy, "but the dream never came true."
Yamamoto, who lives in Yamaguchi, has never left Japan even to visit relatives in Hawaii.
"She always thought that Hawaii was so far away," Kamisugi said, "until now."
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