U.S. officials joined former battleship crew members on the USS Missouri on Wednesday for a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of World War II's official end.
Senator Brian Schatz and Rep. Mark Takai of Hawaii joined Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott Swift for the occasion. Hundreds of U.S. veterans and other guests were also present.
"I was there when they signed the surrender pact, that was September 2nd 1945. I was up above about two decks in the ship and had a good view of the ceremonies," said Lindsey Edwards, who was a sailor on board the Missouri 70 years ago.
"We stood there, we watched General MacArthur come aboard and all of the others come aboard. We were really up in the air, you know how that is, going home really," said another former Missouri crew member named Art Albert.
The Missouri, now moored at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, was the site where Japan formally surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945. After its decommissioning, the ship was turned into a museum called the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
"This ship, 70 years ago, is where the World War II ended, on the surrender deck just forward. So that's why the ship is so famous. The ship is one of the most famous battleships in the world, certainly one of the most famous in the history of the United States, not because of the battles the ship had fought in, but because what had happened on this ship 70 years ago," said Michael Carr, president and CEO of the nonprofit USS Missouri Memorial Association.
Li Kexin, minister at the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C., also flew to Hawaii to attend the ceremony.
"Past experience, if not forgotten, can be a guide for the future. Everyone should respect history; it is beyond distortion, let alone being denied," Li told CCTV on the sidelines of the ceremony.
"Those nations who were responsible for the war should face up to history, reflect on the past, and make due apologies. And the reflection and apologies have to be sincere so that the perpetrators could have a chance of winning back trust and embracing the future," the Chinese diplomat said.
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