Organizers say event is belated celebration of VE Day

When Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, few in Benicia were awake to hear President Harry Truman’s announcement of the European victory.

Few Benicians took to the streets to dance, as did the people in London, Paris and New York, “perhaps in part because bars were closed for the day,” said Mike Caplin, spokesperson for the Benicia State Parks Association (BSPA).

Instead, Caplin said, residents observed the day quietly.

Now, “After 70 years, Benicia will celebrate, finally, Victory in Europe at the end of World War II,” he said.

The celebration will take place Sunday afternoon at Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, where all veterans will be saluted. A group of veterans, including those from World War II, have been invited.

Among those who may be at the assembly are Peter Caggiano of Benicia, who repaired P47s in Europe; Maryann Gowan Finn of Pinole and Benicia, who worked in Yard One at Kaiser’s Richmond Shipyards and matched prefabricated parts to the right ship; and Staff Sergeant Bob Hitchcock of Benicia, a radio operator and top gunner on B17s and signal scrambler on B24s. Hitchcock flew 32 missions over Europe and crash landed in Eastern Belgium on territory claimed that day by the Allies.

Also among those who may attend are Warren Jensen of Concord, who served in the artillery and operated 8-inch Howitzers and landed “D-Day plus 10” in Normandy, moved through the hedgerows, spent winter in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge and ended with occupation duty in Germany; and Jack Mancinelli of Green Valley, who served in the Army Air Force Group 315 and was a navigator for planes that carried paratroopers.

Another who may attend is Corporal Joe Matta of Martinez, a Marine field artillery crewman and rifle marksman who saw action on Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands from April 1 to July 5, 1945, and who was stationed in Japan Aug. 30 to Sept. 19, 1945, and in China Dec. 10, 1945 to March 14, 1946.

Also on the list are John McBride of Benicia, who trained pilots and worked in counterintelligence; and Peter Mustico of Vallejo, who during the first half of World War II sailed on a landing ship tank ferrying supplies along the coast of New Guiana and during the second half of the war loaded ships in the Benicia Arsenal.

Sunday’s celebration also will feature a display of WWII-era vehicles, clothing that represents fashions of the 1940s, and live music tailored for dancing. The festivities will include a Victory cake, Caplin said.

The celebration also will mark the opening of the new Capitol Neighbors Exhibit, “Benicians and World War II,” focused on people who have links to Benicia and the war years.

Among the items in the exhibit are newly discovered WWII-era photographs of Lt. Colonel William Jones Hanlon, brother to the Hanlon sisters, who donated the Fischer-Hanlon House to the state of California.

That pre-Gold Rush home and its adjoining Victorian garden are part of Benicia Capitol State Historic Park.
California State Parks and the Benicia State Parks Association are sponsoring Sunday’s celebration, Caplin said. Joining in the salute and victory festivities will be members of the Bay Area Women’s and Men’s Historical Representation Society, who will wear authentic WWII period attire and who will share information and stories about that era.

“A highlight of the event will be a fashion show by Cherie Oliver of Yesteryear Sierra,” Caplin said.

Oliver, a past president of the Art Deco Society, has an extensive background in fashion shows, he said, including productions that honored WWII veterans at the Ahwahnee Lodge in Yosemite National Park.

“Downtown Benicia is the perfect setting to relive the 1940s,” Caplin said. “With its many intact historic buildings, it remains very much a small town reminiscent of that period in history. Similar towns once covered the country but today have vanished almost completely.”

He added, “The opportunity on May 3 to salute the World War II era in Benicia affords the rare chance to do so in one of America’s few authentic 1940s-era towns.”

The Benicia Salute to the Victory in Europe and exhibit opening will start at 1 p.m. Sunday at Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, 115 West G St.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 to 17. Those younger than 12 will be admitted at no charge. Tickets will be sold at the door the day of the event.

Those interested may contact event organizer Donnell Rubay at 707-746-6193 or visit the BSPA website, www.protectbeniciastateparks.org.