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, PLEASE VOTE!
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LOVE YOU,
Cloudia & Pixie
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