John Shook writes, "In the fall we were ordered to pack our gear for an invasion of the Japanese mainland. That was not good news. However, the Lord had other ideas. The atomic bomb came into the picture in August 1945, and, on August 12th, the Japanese accepted the terms of unconditional surrender. The terms called for a contingent of Japanese to fly down to the Philippines to General MacArthur’s headquarters. The group flew into our airfield on Ie Shima, in a plane painted white with a green cross on the fuselage. They were then transferred to a C-48 Constellation for the meeting in the Philippines. The Japanese accepted the surrender terms on August 15, 1945.
Unfortunately [I] was on duty that day at the message center although I saw the Japanese planes come in painted white with a green cross on the fuselage and tail. That was a historical moment. Major Bongs’ squadron escorted them into Ie Shima."
