Our
President
Our
President
In every life there are milestones, never to be forgotten days when the entire
world, or an entire country remembers. For the older generation, there’s
the day President Kennedy was shot, the day Elvis died, for the younger, there’s
the World Trade Center destruction. For everyone, there was a day when all the
stops were pulled out and jubilation reigned. V-J Day, many of the younger generation
have no clue what those letters mean, but for the men who attended the Order
of Purple Hearts Convention in Kissimmee, it’s a no brainer. V-J Day,
Victory over Japan. On that day in 1945, celebrations broke out all over the
USA when then President Harry S. Truman announced that Japan had surrendered
to the Allies. This followed the U.S. dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. Thousands
streamed into New York's Times Square to celebrate. Most people remember that
iconic picture of an unknown sailor kissing an unknown nurse. Joy was evident
in every face. One of those partygoers was an 18-year-old sailor. His ship had
just brought troops home from Calcutta, India. "It was chaos," he
said, now 83. "We were there all night celebrating. I was happy."
He went on to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Relief about the end of
the war brightened the spirits of soldiers around the globe. But for many, hopes
of returning home immediately were dashed. One Marine, after spending two years
on various Pacific islands, including Saipan was dejected when he learned that
he had to serve in relief efforts for Nagasaki.
When the news came, "you kind of felt relieved," he recalled, he’s
now 86 and lives in California. "You feel like you're not going to combat.
What dulled our feelings was that we were going to Nagasaki. We wanted to come
home."
Some of the men who attended the Purple Heart convention heard the V-J Day news
in hospital beds. One, now 88, woke up in a Boston hospital weeks before V-J
Day after his jeep was attacked. A 91-year-old spent more than two years in
a hospital — one in a full body cast after being hit by a mortar-shell
explosion in Normandy.
For some, their war
experiences remain fresh. A few years ago, one was invited to visit the places
where he served in the Pacific, including Saipan, on the 60th anniversary of
the atomic bombings.
"When we left the place, it was just in shambles. It was a big mess,"
he said. He was taken on a tour that retraced his initial landing on Saipan.
"I looked around, I said, 'Gee, this is beautiful.' I don't know, it just
kind of got to me. I could still see us hitting the water coming in making this
landing." Japan surrendered 8/14/45, marking the end to World War II. For
a soldier in an empty beer hall in Burma (now Myanmar), it was surprising. The
Japanese forces had left, abandoning everything on that day 65 years ago. The
Southeast Asian city was empty. He’d been in combat for years as a member
of the U.S. Army Air Corps, He was 20, and didn’t comprehend the ramifications
of that historic moment that would become known as V-J Day. "I didn't think
of it in the broad sense that the whole world would be affected by this cease-fire,"
he said. "I just thought, well, it's over. And we can go home. I hadn't
been home in 2 1/2 years." Decades later, he said he understands the magnitude
of that extraordinary day. There were 450 attendees recalling stories from their
varied pasts. And reminiscing about where they were and what they were doing
on that particular day.
Steve Kirk
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