Veterans and their families, as well as military history enthusiasts and people who work on Midway Atoll, remembered the historic Battle of Midway, as they gathered at the site where it all happened seventy years ago.

Among those who attended the commemoration of the battle credited with changing the course of the Pacific campaign during the Second World War were two Veterans who fought at Midway all those years ago. John F. Miniclier and Ed Fox served with the Marines who triumphed over the attacking Japanese, despite the fact that American forces were outnumbered and outgunned.

A crowd of approximately 150 gathered at Midway Atoll on June 4, the 70th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Midway, which lasted until June 7, 1942. The event was held at what is now the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, and was sponsored by the United States Navy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which operates the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

Also in attendance were Adm. Cecil D. Haney, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and Robyn Thorson, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region, who said: “This place that was once in the vortex of the long and violent struggle of men longing to be free is now eternally preserved as a place of tranquility, of natural beauty and abundant life.”

Adm. Haney addressed the crowd, saying: “This morning as we pay tribute to the greatest generation, we pray that this time of memorial rightly distinguished their honorable service and their courageous sacrifice… We think about the thousands of young men who over the course of a few short hours paid the ultimate sacrifice.”