On Aug. 15, 1945, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito broadcast the unconditional surrender of the Japanese people on Radio Tokyo, marking the end of the fighting and the beginning of the lengthy process of officially ending World War II.
The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge Association marked the 77th anniversary of that date with a picnic Aug. 15, at Macungie Memorial Park. The event featured the attendance of several Greatest Generation veterans who served in World War II. All are in their late 90s or 100s, but there was no lack of war stories from those who lived them.
A memorabilia table and photo displays were popular draws. A trio of Andrews Sisters tribute singers and young women dressed to resemble United Service Organizations Inc. dancers brought an air of nostalgia to veterans and friends at the event.
Following picnic fare served by Mission Barbeque of Whitehall, a patriotic tribute was presented in the nearby park pavilion. Scout Troop 150, of Orefield, presented the American flag for the Pledge of Allegiance and a rendition of the national anthem by trumpeter Thomas Parsons.
The program was narrated by Steve Savage, president of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge Association. World War II veterans were introduced and World War II-themed entertainment followed.
“God Bless America” and taps by Parsons accompanied patriotic tears from many in the audience. All in all, a good day for Lehigh Valley Americans.
PRESS PHOTOS BY JIM MARSH World War II memorabilia collector and preservationist Drake Szczepanski displays some of the items he collected commemorating his grandfather's service in the U.S. Marines from 1943 to 1945 at the Aug. 15 picnic hosted by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge Association in Macungie Memorial Park.
Attired in his World War II PFC Army uniform Herb Ridyard, 97, of Elizabethtown, chats with a visitor attending the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge Association picnic Aug. 15.
One-hundred-year-old Angelo Bokeko, of Emmaus, attends the veteran's picnic at Macungie Memorial Park. He served in the 13th Armored Division in Europe during World War II.
Mathias Gutman, 97, of Allentown, reflects on serving in the Pacific Theater of World War II as a member of a U.S. Navy Amphibious Group that participated in the liberation of six Pacific islands.
Richard Schimmel, 100, of Allentown, is a survivor of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor at the start of United States' involvement in World War II in December 1941.
John Fleming, 98, of Reading, enjoys picnic fare with Dorothy Trate, 100, of Birdsboro, at the Aug. 15 picnic hosted at Macungie Memorial Park by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge Association. Fleming is a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge which took place as a last ditch German offensive months before the German surrendered in May 1945.
Victor Marulli, 96, of Branchburg, N.J., looks over a collection of veterans' photos taken in 2014 during a commemoration of the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe. Marulli was a member of a U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team in the Pacific theater of World War II.
Robert Thompson, 97, of Honeybrook, chats with Judy Greenhalgh, of Blooming Glen. As a U.S. Army staff sergeant, Thompson was a prisoner in a German POW camp during World War II.
James Gallagher, 97, of Salisbury Township, shares his experience serving in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1946 during World War II.
Hank Kudzik, 97, of Northampton, a U.S. Navy submariner during the Battle of Midway in World War II, attends the veteran's event Aug. 15.
Scout Troop 150, of Orefield, presents the American Flag to begin the entertainment portion of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge picnic Aug. 15 at Macungie Memorial Park to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II.
