4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance

4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance to be held Sunday, August 12

The Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation, Inc. will be holding their 4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight
Ceremony of Remembrance at the National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument on Sunday, August 12, 2012.
The public is invited to attend and participate in this ceremony by remembering a deceased loved one who
served at any time in the U. S. Armed Forces. This event is part of the National Spirit of '45 Day Campaign.

The 4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance will remember and honor ALL of America's Veterans who served at any time in the Armed Forces of the United States and who have since passed away or who were KIA/MIA. Among those are the 100 Connecticut servicemen who were killed in action during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. The names of those men are inscribed on the black granite panels of the monument. The ceremony also remembers those who survived the battle but who have since passed away. 


The public is invited to attend this Free event and participate by remembering any special veteran in their lives who is no longer with us. The ceremony will include bagpipes, invocation, speakers, taps, rifle salute, riderless horse and the lighting of candles. The public is invited to call the name of a loved one to be remembered and toll the bell for each. Relatives or friends of the 100 men KIA who are listed on the monument or survivors of the battle who have passed away are asked to contact us.

Those wishing to attend are asked to first gather at 5:30 p.m. at the Newington Memorial Funeral Home
located at 20 Bonair Ave. in the center of Newington. There will be a brief ceremony which will include the
folding of an American flag which represents all veterans who have passed away. Everyone is invited to
bring a photo of the veteran they would like to remember and place it on the Wall of Honor.

Due to limited parking at the Monument, a bus will be provided to transport visitors to the National Iwo Jima Memorial. This bus will be part of a formal escorted procession to the National Iwo Jima Memorial where services will begin at 6:30 p.m. In case of rain, the entire ceremony will take place at the Newington Memorial Funeral Home.

The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought February 19th through March 26th, 1945. It was the bloodiest battle in
Marine history, resulting in the deaths of 6,821 American servicemen and wounded over 19,000 more. The
Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to
maintain the National Iwo Jima Memorial, educate others about the history of the Battle for Iwo Jima and to
perpetuate the memory of those who fought and died there.

We are seeking Sponsors and Volunteers to help with this event. For more information, please contact Gary
at (860) 291-9666 or email SOSIwoJima@yahoo.com. You may also visit the Iwo Jima Survivors website or Facebook page at www.SOSIwoJima.com for more information and directions to the Newington Memorial Funeral Home or National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument.