End of War Marked
While veterans across the nation will remember the end of World War II, some will commemorate the event on the battleship Missouri, where Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

Veterans will gather to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which signaled the start of America’s involvement in the war, on the vessel where it ended — the battleship Missouri. The event will be held Sept. 2 to coincide with Japan’s 1945 surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Today, the Missouri is a floating museum on Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor, berthed a ship’s length away from the USS Arizona, sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Events will include speeches, an F-15 “missing man” formation flyby, a howitzer 21-gun salute, a joint forces color guard, and military bands. The event’s honorary chair is Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who earned the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II as part of the U.S. Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Recovery Efforts in North Korea Suspended

Efforts to recover the remains of U.S. servicemembers from North Korea have been suspended. The Pentagon says North Korea is creating an environment that could jeopardize the safety of U.S. workers and cited restrictions on the use of communication devices by U.S. personnel. The United States has been critical of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

The remains recovery program previously was suspended from October 2002 to June 2003, after the North Koreans disclosed they had been running an active nuclear weapons program. The recovery missions, which began in 1996, have returned the remains of more than 220 U.S. servicemembers who died in the Korean War. More than 8,000 servicemembers still are missing, and a large number of the remains are believed recoverable.

Monument Dedicated to Brown Water Veterans

A monument dedicated to Navy and Coast Guard veterans who died supporting “brown water” naval operations in Vietnam was unveiled at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in San Diego. The 66-foot-long and 8-foot-tall curved concrete wall is made of 26 panels listing the names of all veterans who took part in brown water operations in Vietnam from 1960 to 1975. The memorial includes three small boats from the brown water Navy era: the Patrol Boat River, the Patrol Craft Fast, and the Command Communications Boat.