54th U.S.-Japan B-29 Memorial Ceremony

260620-F-HX653-1009

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Lori Darr, 374th Operations Support Squadron airfield operations systems officer, waits in line to present an incense offering during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Since 1972, residents of Shizuoka have conducted a memorial service, alongside members from the 374 AW, to honor both the fallen B-29 crewmembers and the citizens of Shizuoka who perished in the bombing raids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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260620-F-HX653-1009

A Japanese Buddhist priest conducts a recitation of sutras during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Since 1972, residents of Shizuoka have conducted a memorial service alongside members from the 374 AW, honoring both the fallen B-29 crewmembers and the citizens of Shizuoka who perished in the bombing raids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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260620-F-HX653-1009

Japanese Buddhist priests conduct a recitation of sutras during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Since 1972, residents of Shizuoka have conducted a memorial service alongside members from the 374 AW, honoring both the fallen B-29 crewmembers and the citizens of Shizuoka who perished in the bombing raids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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260620-F-HX653-1009

Dr. Hiroya Sugano gives opening remarks during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Dr. Hiroya Sugano, a child at the time, and his family lived through the raid. Another person at the scene was Mr. Fukumatsu Itoh. Mr. Itoh had pulled two of the American Airmen from the wreckage who were still alive, but they eventually succumbed to their injuries. Mr. Itoh also retrieved a blackened canteen from the wreckage, which appeared to bear the handprint of its former owner. Being a devout Buddhist, Mr. Itoh gave the American crewmen a proper burial alongside the local residents who had also died and began conducting a modest annual ceremony to honor those who had paid the ultimate price. A silent prayer was offered and bourbon whiskey was poured from the blackened canteen onto the crash site memorial as an offering to the spirits of the fallen, both Japanese and American. Eventually, Dr. Sugano met Mr. Itoh. Before Mr. Itoh died, Dr. Sugano promised to carry on the tradition, which he has done since 1972. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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260620-F-HX653-1009

U.S. Air Force honor guardsmen assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing march after the presentation of colors during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Since 1972, residents of Shizuoka have conducted a memorial service alongside members from the 374 AW, honoring both the fallen B-29 crewmembers and the citizens of Shizuoka who perished in the bombing raids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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54th U.S.-Japan B-29 Memorial Ceremony

U.S. Air Force Col. Richard McElhaney, 374th Airlift Wing commander, pours a libation offering of bourbon during the B-29 Memorial Ceremony at the Sengen Shrine, Shizuoka, Japan, June 20, 2026. On June 20, 1945, two B-29 aircraft collided in midair during a bombing run over Shizuoka City. Twenty-three aircrew members were killed, along with approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians. Since 1972, residents of Shizuoka have conducted a memorial service alongside members from the 374 AW, honoring both the fallen B-29 crewmembers and the citizens of Shizuoka who perished in the bombing raids. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott Fremming)

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Airmen assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing participated in the annual B-29 Memorial Ceremony at Sengen Shrine in Shizuoka, honoring the lives lost during a midair collision between two U.S. Army Air Forces B-29 bombers over Shizuoka on June 20, 1945, and the approximately 2,000 Japanese civilians who perished during the bombing raid. The ceremony, held each year since 1972, commemorates a shared history of tragedy and reconciliation, bringing together local residents and U.S. service members to remember the fallen, strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, and reaffirm a mutual commitment to peace and friendship for future generations.

260620-F-HX653-1009

260620-F-HX653-1009

260620-F-HX653-1009

260620-F-HX653-1009

260620-F-HX653-1009

54th U.S.-Japan B-29 Memorial Ceremony