CAPE HENLOPEN STATE PARK, Del. - Eighty years ago, Sgt. George McCarthy, U.S. Army Air Corps; Aviation Machinist’s Mate First Class John A. Reichert, U.S. Navy; Gunner’s Mate First Class Raymond Sproul, U.S. Navy; and Seaman First Class Vernon Huber, U.S. Navy, stood thousands of miles from home when the news broke: Japan had surrendered. World War II was over.
McCarthy, stationed in Kunming, China, remembers the moment vividly.
"I couldn’t believe it," he said. "Shocked beyond words."
He keeps a photo from that very day in 1945, taken just two hours after the surrender was announced. In it, a young Sgt. McCarthy points himself out with a smile.
Pictured 2nd from the right.
"This one right here," he said. "This good-looking guy."
McCarthy had saved a bottle of brandy, hidden away for just the right moment.
"We waited a long time. Finally, we were all gathered in the recreation area, and that was it Kunming, China. The war was over."
On Tuesday, the Fort Miles Historical Association hosted its ninth annual ceremony commemorating the Allied victory. Held in Lewes, Delaware, the event honored the 774 Delawareans who gave their lives in World War II. Fifty names are read aloud each year.
A ceremonial honor guard fired shots. A reading of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s surrender speech echoed across the crowd.
"Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed."