Active duty, retired service members and civilians paid honor to Battle of Midway veterans during a commemoration ceremony aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, June 6, which marked the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Midway.
The Battle of Midway took place June 4-7, 1942. During the battle, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier strike forces defeated an Imperial Japanese strike force that prevented them from capturing Midway Island.
The Battle of Midway is an important marker in naval heritage because it is considered to have changed the course of the war in the Pacific by putting the previously thought to be unstoppable Japanese forces on the defensive where they remained until their ultimate surrender, Sept. 2, 1945.
During the ceremony military and civilian leaders honored the surviving veterans, along with family and friends of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, for their extraordinary service 73 years ago.
The ceremony closed with a playing of Echo Taps and a moment of silence.
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Image: US Navy