Sheldon Man, Former Sailor Says No One Should Forget September 2nd

Date posted - August 31, 2012

Surrender Of Japan Aboard USS Missouri

Sheldon, Iowa — A Sheldon man who was a sailor — present when the treaty was signed that ended World War II in the Pacific — wants people to remember September 2nd.

This Sunday marks the 67th anniversary of the formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Travis Potter of Sheldon was there, and tells us about his experience.

Potter says, they eventually found out — starting with something that happened later that night.

Potter says a few days later they steamed into Tokyo Bay. He says there were so many ships, he could count four in front of them, and behind them, ships as far as the eye could see. He says he was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bennington, and got a front-row-seat of the action.

USS Bennington

Potter says he was only one of thousands of sailors and soldiers there at the time, but he says with the amount of time that has passed and everything going on in the world today, many people tend to forget that September 2nd was an important day in the history of the world. He says we should always remember that day.

We at KIWA invite you to take a moment out on Sunday to remember the sacrifices made by so many during World War II and in all the conflicts. Freedom is not free.

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3 Responses to “Sheldon Man, Former Sailor Says No One Should Forget September 2nd”

Mark Carlson says:

- September 1, 2012 at 8:35 pm

I was so pleased to listen to Mr. Potters interview that played on KIWA AM today. A very fitting story to be broadcast this Labor Day weekend. A reminder to me that many of our NW Iowa residents were involved in the fight for freedom and served in many places around the globe and have taken part of so many historical events. Thank you to KIWA for bringing this story to the air and I “salute” Mt Potter for his service to country.

Mark Carlson
Ashton

Reply
Marcia says:

- September 2, 2012 at 11:30 am

Thank you for this, Mr. Potter and KIWA. Since the Emperor had been considered infallible and was basically a god to the Japanese for centuries, for him to admit defeat was truly a historic moment.
I echo Mark’s comments about many living in NW Iowa having seen so much. Maybe a good school project or even area project would be to interview these guys before it’s too late. They have so much to share.

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WP says:

- September 2, 2012 at 1:32 pm

As were so many others of his generation, Mr. Potter is an American Hero.
Thank you for your service.

Reply

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