On Aug. 14, 1945, Japan agreed to surrender and Gen. Douglas MacArthur became Supreme Allied Commander. Less than three weeks later, on Sept. 2, Japan signed the surrender documents aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.

Now, 60 years later, the official end of World War II in the Pacific will be commemorated at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., with a ceremony on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The USO Liberty Belles and the Navy Band will perform, followed by fireworks.

More than a year after the memorial’s dedication on Memorial Day weekend 2004, the U.S. Park Service estimates that 4.7 million people have visited.

It’s not unusual to see visitors at the World War II Memorial in uniform, either the squeaky clean young enlistees, or the more seasoned veterans, wearing slightly snug and faded uniforms.

But three nuns — one in full-length white robes, one in a full-length black habit, and one in a street-length habit — touring the memorial on a hot summer day tends to turn heads.

Sister Annamarie Paulik, a Vincentian from Pittsburgh, looked around nervously trying to keep track of her two charges, Sister Renata and Sister Marta, two young sisters visiting from Slovakia.

The visiting nuns are studying English in the United States for 10 months, and will then return to their homeland. Even though these young nuns were not alive during the war, Sister Annamarie pointed out that the war affected the whole world. Sister Renata was excited to see "Central Europe" etched into the granite.

"They are in classes all the time, so this exposure to culture is part of their education," Sister Annamarie said. "They are very eager to learn English and they want to come to our cultural centers and talk to people."

Despite the controversy and repeated delays with the memorial’s construction, the restful sounds of the water fountains and the open, circular design complement the mall with the Lincoln Memorial to the west and the Washington Monument to the east.

The design allows visitors to move through the state columns from the Atlantic theatre on the right to the Pacific theatre opposite. The focal point is the wall of stars —4,000 gold stars affixed to a dark wall — that reflect in a pond of still water day and night. These stars represent the 400,000 who perished in the war.

The troops "deserve this type of recognition, especially those who gave their lives for this country," Sister Annamarie said.

The bas relief scenes at the entrance depict the war from the homefront — sitting by the radio listening to the president, or Rosy the Riveteer working on planes, or the farm workers tilling the fields — all illustrating that the war was fought on many fronts.

Most days flowers, flags, old faded photographs and thank-you notes are left behind at the memorial. The Park Service collects all but the flowers each night. No decision has been made where these items will be placed, perhaps with the Smithsonian.

The question remains, and is often asked of the park rangers, who provide tours upon request, why the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials were built first. The answer is not clear, but now that the memorial has come to fruition, it is a tangible reminder of a dark time in world history, but a time when the United States pulled together for a common cause.

Sister Marta, shy but with likely a better command of the English language than she let on, said the memorial is "beautiful and a wonderful idea."

Within minutes the tour guide was calling to the sisters, and they were off to visit yet another Washington tourist attraction.

For more information about the Sept. 2 ceremony go to www.60wwii.mil or call toll free 1-877-868-2058.