World War II ended 75 years ago when representatives of Japan - the last hold-out of the defeated Axis Powers - signed the surrender document in Tokyo Bay aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
At the conclusion of the solemn ceremony, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, speaking for all the allied nations, stepped up to the microphone.
“Today, the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won,” he announced to a world hungry for peace after six years of bloodshed.
The plan in Washington this year was to commemorate the silencing of those guns in a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial with dignitaries and, most importantly, surviving veterans of the war and their families.
But a new enemy got in the way: COVID-19.
“It was a very difficult decision to cancel this year’s (Victory over Japan) observance. We know how many people share our great disappointment in not being able to gather here to properly honor the fallen from World War II,” said Jeff Reinhold, Supervisor of the National Mall for the National Park Service. “This year may be one of our final opportunities at a major anniversary to honor and thank World War II veterans.”
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial stepped in to offer a virtual remembrance of the day that marked the end to the most destructive war in human history.
“The achievement of the surrender was long and controversial. There was much worry, I guess I could call it that, of continued opposition to the surrender by various detached organizations of the Japanese Army in different parts of the Pacific. That did not happen,” said Josiah Bunting, Chairman of the Friends of the National World War II Memorial. “We commemorate the Soldiers and Marines who served and died there. Those are the people we honor and remember today.”
Also taking part in the virtual ceremony was Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Wearing the Army’s new dress uniform that was intended to evoke images of the famous “Pinks and Greens” worn by generals like Eisenhower and Patton, he said veterans of that bloody war were “living legends of the ’Greatest Generation.’”
“You fought to achieve a ’better peace.’ From the ashes of destruction, death and bloodshed of that war, you established a rules-based global order, rooted in political and economic liberty that has maintained great power peace for over seven decades,” Gen. Milley said.
He noted that his own parents were World War II veterans. His father was a Marine who battled his way across several islands in the Pacific Theater like Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. His mother served at a Navy hospital in Seattle, caring for the wounded troops.
“Although both have passed on, I’ve carried their example of integrity and selfless service as daily inspiration,” Gen. Milley said. “My parents instilled in me a sense of service and an understanding of how lucky I am to be an American.”
Marv Levy is best known as a former coach of the Buffalo Bills NFL team, but he also served in World War II in the Army Air Corps. He was stateside when the announcement came out that Japan had surrendered.
“Oh do I remember it well even though it was 75 years ago. What a day it was - how we celebrated,” Mr. Levy said. “And we’re celebrating it again, today.”
The term “Greatest Generation” is thought to have been coined by former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw in his book of the same name. He said it was his “personal privilege” to join the online ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.
He was a child living on an Army base in South Dakota at the time.
“I knew this was an event that would define my lifetime and the lifetime of everyone that comes after,” he said. “We need to be reminded again about what happens when America works together in common cause.”
He compared the fight against the Coronavirus to the battle the free world waged against facism and militarism three quarters of a century ago.
“This is an unseen threat. But nonetheless, it is a war that depends on all of us pulling together and finding that great American spirit that has gotten us through so many challenges in the past,” Mr. Brokaw said. “I’m confident we can do it again.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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