Since 1991, World War II veterans and families from several nations have traveled throughout Asia and Oceana on pilgrimages to some of the most remote and forgotten battlefields on earth. These were undoubtedly the largest gatherings of participants in a past war, across such great distances, in history. These veterans returned to the scenes of battle to pay tribute to fallen comrades, to rediscover places and experiences, and in many cases to find personal truths in how they relate to this war today.
Beyond the ceremonies, commemorations, parades, speeches, and banquets were chances to pay quiet personal tributes to friends killed or wounded or to those buddies who simply passed away since the war. Individuals and groups routinely broke from the crowds and went to the very places where the fighting once raged. They wove a poignant tapestry of memories across the Pacific that tugged at the heartstrings of all involved.
In October 1994, thousands converged on the Philippines to observe the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the shadow of a memorial to the return of General Douglas Mac Arthur. In summer 1995, the Adelup Complex near the Governor’s residence on Guam was the site of the dedication of a sculpted tribute to the returning liberators, followed by a 21-gun salute and the unveiling of the Fallen Victims of War Memorial Wall.
