V-J Day, Veterans
Andrew Henry Abugelis (age 93) joined fellow World War II veterans at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Friday September 2, 2016, for a solemn wreath-laying ceremony on V-J Day, the 71st anniversary of the end of that conflict. Abugelis was assigned to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, where he served as a plane handler. He participated in the attacks on Marcus, Wake and Gilbert Islands as well as the attacks on the Marshall Islands,the Marianas, Palau, Truk, Woleai, Hollandia, and New Guinea. On Sept. 2, 1945, Imperial Japan formerly surrendered to the Allied Powers aboard the battleship USS Missouri. The ceremony was sponsored by the Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service. (Photo by Jeff Malet)