(NewsNation) — A group of World War II veterans will make their final journey back to Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa to mark the 80th anniversary of these historic battles.
Seven veterans will participate in the U.S.-Japan Reunion of Honor Ceremony, joined by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Japanese officials. The Eagle Society will escort the veterans of the Pacific Theater as they retrace the paths where they fought 80 years ago.
Walter LaSota, a 99-year-old veteran who served in Okinawa, shared his excitement about retracing the steps he took 80 years ago. He expressed a long-held desire to visit the places where he was in combat.
“When you’re there, it’s one thing. When you’re not there, it’s another feeling. Not that you enjoyed a war, but at least I enjoyed being here and seeing things that I’d never seen it before in my life, and experiences that I never experienced, except in combat,” he told “Morning in America.”
LaSota and other veterans will travel to Gwam, Iwo To, formerly Iwo Jima, to participate in the Reunion of Honor Ceremony before continuing to Okinawa for a commemoration of the Battle of Okinawa.
Michael Davidson, founder of the Eagle Society, organizes these trips to educate today’s leaders on American history, heroes, and heritage. He previously took veterans to Normandy for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, but this marks the first journey of this scale in the Pacific.
“What they did for us, we’re still living on the endowment of what they built and what they fought for,” Davidson said. “I think it’s important for my kids and other kids to also see us as a nation immersing ourselves in these types of experiences.”
More than 6,800 American lives were lost in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Okinawa, the final and bloodiest battle of the war, saw more than 12,000 American lives lost. The Reunion of Honor ceremony serves as a solemn reminder of the enormous sacrifices.