Historic Day

 A   L   O   H   A  !

September 2nd marked the 

75th anniversary of the  signing

of the instrument of surrender

onboard the battleship Missouri

in Tokyo Bay. 

Ceremonies were held

here on Oahu where WWII began

for the US with the bombing of

Pearl Harbor Naval Base.  

Every year, we are 

visited by veterans of

that day, and that conflict,

in addition to the thousands

every year who visit the

solemn sites there:

Sunken battleship Arizona

bestraddled by her gleaming

white memorial, largely

financed by Elvis concerts.

The Missouri is here too.

Seeing the great war horse

pass Waikiki  

for the last time

on

May 23, 1998

was a sight!

Because of Covid-19, 

planned events were

scaled down, though still

noteworthy indeed. I thought

the image of the masked

sailors above was historic 

for two reasons!

Sadly,

most of the remaining

survivors of the day

did not return as planned.

But some were there.

One gentlemen  who had

served on the Missouri

and had been present on

the signing day!

Tokyo Bay was dark that day.

Hate and fear seemed to

stain the air. No one knew

what would happen.

The gentleman described

the silence on the packed

ship. The limp of the Japanese

official coming aboard, 

and how MacArthur's 

hand trembled

slightly as he signed.

His closing remarks

set the tone for the day,

and for our post-war

world that I grew up in.

“Today the guns are silent. 

A great tragedy has ended. 

A great victory has been won. 

The skies no longer rain death -

the seas bear only commerce,

 men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace. The holy mission has been completed. And in reporting this to you, 

the people, I speak for the

thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches 

and in the deep waters of the Pacific 

which marked the way. I

 speak for the unnamed 

brave millions homeward bound t

o take up the challenge of

that future which they did 

so much to salvage from 

the brink of disaster."

September 2, 1945; At the conclusion of the Surrender Ceremony, General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, broadcast this speech

"It is my earnest hope, 

and indeed the hope

 of all mankind, that 

from this solemn 

occasion a better world 

shall emerge out of 

the blood and carnage 

of the past -- a world 

founded upon faith and 

understanding, a 

world dedicated to 

the dignity of man and 

the fulfillment of his 

most cherished wish 

for freedom, tolerance, 

and justice."

General Douglas MacArthur, 

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers

Closing Surrender Ceremony

Freedom.

Tolerance.

Justice.

Amen,

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LOVE YOU,

                    Cloudia & Pixie

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