LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — 75 years ago today World War II came to an official end.
On Sept. 2, 1945, Japanese troops surrendered to Allied forces - ending the war in the pacific and marking the end of the largest global conflict in human history.
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Members of Honor Flight Southern Nevada wanted to recognize a group of local World War II-era veterans with a heroes ball, but then the coronavirus pandemic hit.
It's not a good idea to put all these veterans in the same place because all of them are older than 90 years old.
Instead, Honor Flight and other Las Vegas valley groups organized a procession down the Las Vegas Strip to honor those veterans and recognize the historic Japanese surrender to U.S. troops.
Watch a replay (part 1) of the event below:
Everyone will be socially distant or in their own cars, spaced out for safety.
World War II Veteran William "Dean" Whitaker says he will be in the procession so people don't forget the past's hard-learned lessons.
"I think the big reason, or one of the reasons, that us old veterans remember the war and the horrors so bad is they don't want another one," said Whitaker. "They want to settle any dispute by not going to war."
"War is hell," he added.
Watch a replay (part 2) of the event below:
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More than 400,000 Americans died fighting during World War II, and it took the unprecedented act of dropping two atomic bombs on Japanese cities to finally bring the war to an end months after Germany's surrender in May of 1945.
In total, experts estimate between 70 and 85 million people died as a result of the deadliest conflict in human history.
PROCESSION ROUTE
The lineup will start at Palm Mortuary located at 1325 N. Main Street in the parking lot.
The Procession will begin at 8:45 a.m. and: head south single file on Main Street to Las Vegas Blvd., continue south past Mandalay Bay to Sunset Road., turn left onto Sunset Road, turn right on Eastern, then meet at Palm Eastern Cemetery in front of the war memorial.
