US veterans praise their forgotten ally

This week, as the world marks the 72nd anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, those who fought remember China's contribution to the victory. Zhai Xiang reports for Xinhua.

On Aug 15, 1945, Dick Whitaker, a member of the Sixth Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps, was on the island of Guam when he heard of the Japanese surrender.

The end of World War II also signaled the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), fought exclusively on Chinese soil.

"I was training for the invasion of Japan, scheduled for November 1945, in which I would very likely have been killed," Whitaker said. "The victory saved my life and properly avenged Pearl Harbor."

On Dec 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, a US naval base in Hawaii, killing thousands of military personnel and civilians.

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt described it as "a date which will live in infamy", and the United States declared war on Japan the following day.

Xinhua has interviewed US veterans and their families by phone or email to hear about their memories of the victory and their hopes for the future.