Portland ceremony to honor WWII vets

PORTLAND — A public ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, at Fort Allen Park on the Eastern Promenade to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.

State Rep. Walter Wheeler, D-Kittery, and Portland resident Espen Christiansen will speak. Both are WWII veterans.

According to Portland historian and state Rep. Herb Adams, D-Portland, there are nearly 260 names of soldiers who died in the war on a bronze plaque at City Hall.

Adams said having the ceremony at Fort Allen Park, where the mast of the USS Portland stands, is symbolic because the USS Portland played a part in the Japanese surrender that ended WWII.