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The public is invited and urged to attend a brief ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Japanese signing of the Instrument of Surrender, officially ending World War II.

The event will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2,  in the Veterans Memorial Plaza on the east lawn of the Tyrrell County Courthouse.

The ceremony is being sponsored by Scuppernong Post 182 W  The American Legion and Glynn T. Cahoon Post 10659 of The Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Purpose of the observance is “to honor and pay our respect to over 16 million American men and women who stepped up and answered the call to serve our country after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,” said Leroy Spivey, American Legion post commander.

Among those were served were nearly 600 men and women of Tyrrell County.

Casualties were high, and many did not return. Among them were these Tyrrell County men: Raymond H. Wilkins (Medal of Honor), Junior V. Basnight, Ephriam C. Cooper, James D. Holloway, Thomas Lindsey Jarvis, Chester Hopkins Jr., Mary Lee Kemp, Gaither Lassiter, William Nelson “Nip” McClees, James T. Machen, Clarence Rayfield Owens, Norman E. Smith, Charlie W. Sykes, Milton “Pete” Taylor, Huron R. Voliva, Calvin Doss Weatherly, and Richard Wynn.

Legionnaires and VFW members are urged to wear their service organization head covers to the ceremony Wednesday morning.

Face masks and hand sanitizer will be available for those who forget to bring their own, Spivey said. There will be a few chairs on hand for those who cannot stand for long periods.