First Gun Used in WWII To Be Moved on the 80th Anniversary of the End of the War
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 21, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Media Contact:
Kevin Olson
Deputy Director
Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum
Email: kolson@mnveteransmuseum.org
Cell: 651-212-0573
A rendering of the future home of the Ward Gun #3 at the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum
Date of Event: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.
Location: Veterans Service Building | St. Paul, Minnesota
On the 80th anniversary of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, Minnesotans are invited to a powerful dual commemoration honoring both the beginning and the end of American involvement in World War II.
At 11:00 a.m., the historic USS Ward gun—fired by St. Paul-based Naval Reservists in the first American engagement of WWII—will be ceremonially removed from its longtime home outside the Veterans Service Building. The artifact will be professionally restored and relocated to its new permanent home at the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum near Camp Ripley.
Immediately following, at 11:45 a.m., the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum will host a V-J Day Commemoration Ceremony recognizing the formal Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. The USS Saint Paul, named for Minnesota’s capital city, was present in Tokyo Bay during those surrender ceremonies—bringing this full-circle story back home.
Ceremony Locations:
Parking Lot I – USS Ward Gun Removal (11:00 a.m.)
5th Floor, Veterans Service Building – V-J Day Commemoration (11:45 a.m.)
Address:
Veterans Service Building
20 W 12th St
St. Paul, MN 55155
This event is hosted by the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, the Navy League of Minnesota, and the Dr. Harold C. Deutsch WWII History Round Table.
RSVP & Parking
RSVP to attend via the Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum website: RSVP https://www.mnvetmuseum.org/vjday-rsvp
Parking information for the Minnesota State Capitol complex is available here: https://www.eqb.state.mn.us/sites/eqb/files/documents/Capitol%20Parking%20Map.pdf
Members of the public and press are warmly invited to attend.
Explore more about the Ward Gun here.
