I know my Dad was real happy when the Japanese surrendered.
SHIREHOME– So was my dad, because a lot of guys in the European Theater thought they might be sent to invade Japan after V-E Day.
We knew how to stage victory parades as well as surrender ceremonies at the end of WWII. My dad and my mother went to New York for the 82nd’s victory parade in early 1946; he’s somewhere among the marching paratroopers, she’s standing somewhere along the parade route. I’m not yet the proverbial gleam in their eyes.
PA, please more info on you Dad. My Father in Law also 82nd.
My Dad was in the Pacific.
Just a little over 2 months ago to the day, I was standing on the exact surrender spot on the deck of the Missouri. There’s a stand with the surrender instrument encased. Somber feelings, especially after just seeing the Arizona an hour before.
My father was one of the first occupation troops in Hiroshima. He died in 1983 from leukemia at age 58…the doctors said there was probably a connection to the cancer and his being in Hiroshima. They said we could try to have him declared a war casualty by the VA, but would probably be a long shot. We never pursued that. He’s listed with the WWII Memorial in DC.
My parents VJ Day party lasted three days. Lots of cousins and friends were coming home. They had parties for all of them. My aunt and uncle had two pretty daughters and they had lots of pretty friends. There were more than a half dozen marriages started at those parties. My sister and I had bunk beds at the top of the stairs. Some partiers stumbled upstairs and fell into bed with us. A good time was had by all. Some photos Here.
physicsguy, I was on the Missouri once when the ship was at Bremerton before it was reactivated (75 or 76). The only part of the ship that you could access was the surrender medallion. The New Jersey was along the other side of the pier.
I saw the Arizona in March 1968. My father had leave. He was at Nha Trang and the Tet Offensive had just ended. We had to surrender our cameras. No pictures allowed in Pearl Harbor.
A different world indeed. I cannot picture MacArthur, Nimitz, or Halsey going to work as lobbyists for the defense industry following their long and distinguished military careers,
My dad was a merchant seaman in the North Atlantic on convoys to Europe during World War II. The stories he told were post-VE day, when he was transferred to vessels in the Caribbean and the south Atlantic off of South America. He had some very funny stories. I didn’t find out about the North Atlantic until after he died and I found his papers. I wish I had known.
(The Merchant Marine lost the highest percentage of men, compared to the other service branches. In sheer numbers, the USMC lost the most men, but as a percentage of the service, is was a lower percentage number.)
The Federal Government screwed over the merchant seaman who served during the War. It wasn’t until the late 1980’s that they were finally granted the promised veteran status. My father never bothered. He felt it was too little, too late.
Related in that it is WW2 in the Pacific.
In December 1944, with no enemy involved the USN lost three ships sunk more than 800 sailors; Typhoon Cobra,
Typhoon Cobra – When the weather does more damage than the enemy – Drachinifel
My father, ETO, had a friend later who was one of the first occupation troops in Nagasaki. The War Department gave him a card for eligibility to a special program for health care costs should something from that exposure surface in later life.
Chases Eagles,
Everyone was allowed to take pictures at the Arizona, but all were required to maintain absolute silence for those entombed below us. No problem with any pictures on the Missouri…what an amazing vessel it is. Again, I wish Neo would allow images to be posted here.
Compare the uniforms the top US generals wore back then with those worn today; even their dress uniforms.
Back then, they were rather minimalist in regards to how much stuff was pinned on their uniforms.
Now look at what the top present day US generals wear; they look like Latin American tin pot military dictators with dozens of colorful pins affixed to the front of their uniforms. One would think they had single-handily defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan !!
Oops, I forgot; they executed the most disorganized, pathetic, negligent, incompetent, worst withdrawal of probably any “organized’ army in the history of the USA.
Regardless, they probably have pinned to their colorful uniforms some sort of service pin – suitably color coded – demonstrating their Afghan service.
Not sure what changed, but IMHO, it was not for the better.
Changing topics.
RE: Maricopa County, Kari Lake trial.
Here is my cynical prediction.
The judge (or is it a jury?) will rule that despite all sorts of voting irregularities, it did not change the outcome of the election. Therefore, the election results will stand.
Just one more “win” for cheating demokrats and one more sitting around with their thumbs up their ass for the republican “leadership.”
Re: the FBI and Twitter
When it’s all said and done -even if the next president and senate and house all are republican dominated – no one will be punished or held to account.
A few folks may be forced to retire (with handsome pensions, paid for by you and me) , but they will just move on to highly paid positions with the media, some university or think tank.
JohnTyler,
2 thumbs up for your comments on Maricopa and the FBI… that’s exactly what will happen. No wonder we are all so cynical.
At what point does the level of corruption and dishonesty cause a true reckoning? Maybe a long way off. I keep thinking that if I didn’t follow the news in general, and the reporting from conservative sites, none of this would have much effect in my daily life. Most likely only as people are being shipped off to camps will it dawn on the population what has happened; and it will be too late by then.
I was 12 when VJ Day was announced. I remember it as a few days of relieved celebration. People driving down the street honking their horns. People displaying their flags. Smiles and good will were everywhere. Some businesses closed to give their employees a day or two to celebrate.
Like Pearl Harbor, I knew my life would change, and maybe for the better. And it did.
I look on the period from 1945 to 1950 as being a very happy time. What a monumental event it was.
I cannot picture MacArthur, Nimitz, or Halsey going to work as lobbyists for the defense industry following their long and distinguished military careers,
MacArthur was offered and accepted the position of chairman of the board of Remington Rand. His annual director’s fees amounted to 3x his Army pension. He and his wife lived in style on the Upper East Side.
The USS Utah is also still there, on the other side of Ford Island. It too has Men entombed and is a War Grave. There have been Men that served on her at Pearl that have requested that their ashes be laid to rest with their Shipmates.
I was watching in harms way premingers adaptation of james bassett (ikes press secretary) war time novel. It opens on the night before pearl harbor where many characters lives are changed including kurt douglas’s character
To answer physicsguy’s endorsement of JohnTyler and retort, “At what point does the level of corruption and dishonesty cause a true reckoning?”
WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE VIOLENT ENOUGH TO GET THE RULING CLASS WELL AND GOOD FEARFUL FOR THEIR SAFETY.
Until such time, nothing will happen but more of the same.
THAT’S what history teaches us.
So by TJ logic all history in the USA since the Civil War has just been a march of corruption and dishonesty? Or were the “ruling class” part and parcel of the Civil War?
Miguel: I think of Bassett’s “Harm’s Way” as the naval equivalent to Anton Myrer’s “Once An Eagle”.
Try Bassett’s later novel “Commander Prince, USN”. It’s about the commander of a four-piper destroyer in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet from the very beginning of the war through the Battle of the Java Sea and subsequent ABDA actions around the Dutch East Indies. An interesting book about a mostly forgotten theater and a forgotten fleet.
The wrecks of the warships sunk in those battles were war graves. Sadly and infuriatingly, they have been “salvaged” for their metal and the remains of the sailors reportedly dumped in a shallow mass grave on Java:
I know my Dad was real happy when the Japanese surrendered.
SHIREHOME– So was my dad, because a lot of guys in the European Theater thought they might be sent to invade Japan after V-E Day.
We knew how to stage victory parades as well as surrender ceremonies at the end of WWII. My dad and my mother went to New York for the 82nd’s victory parade in early 1946; he’s somewhere among the marching paratroopers, she’s standing somewhere along the parade route. I’m not yet the proverbial gleam in their eyes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjEkTdgpVwU&ab_channel=WWIIPublicDomain
PA, please more info on you Dad. My Father in Law also 82nd.
My Dad was in the Pacific.
Just a little over 2 months ago to the day, I was standing on the exact surrender spot on the deck of the Missouri. There’s a stand with the surrender instrument encased. Somber feelings, especially after just seeing the Arizona an hour before.
My father was one of the first occupation troops in Hiroshima. He died in 1983 from leukemia at age 58…the doctors said there was probably a connection to the cancer and his being in Hiroshima. They said we could try to have him declared a war casualty by the VA, but would probably be a long shot. We never pursued that. He’s listed with the WWII Memorial in DC.
My parents VJ Day party lasted three days. Lots of cousins and friends were coming home. They had parties for all of them. My aunt and uncle had two pretty daughters and they had lots of pretty friends. There were more than a half dozen marriages started at those parties. My sister and I had bunk beds at the top of the stairs. Some partiers stumbled upstairs and fell into bed with us. A good time was had by all. Some photos Here.
physicsguy, I was on the Missouri once when the ship was at Bremerton before it was reactivated (75 or 76). The only part of the ship that you could access was the surrender medallion. The New Jersey was along the other side of the pier.
Picture here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_New_Jersey_(BB-62)#/media/File:USS_Missouri_(BB-63)_and_USS_New_Jersey_(BB-62)_mothballed.jpg
I saw the Arizona in March 1968. My father had leave. He was at Nha Trang and the Tet Offensive had just ended. We had to surrender our cameras. No pictures allowed in Pearl Harbor.
A different world indeed. I cannot picture MacArthur, Nimitz, or Halsey going to work as lobbyists for the defense industry following their long and distinguished military careers,
My dad was a merchant seaman in the North Atlantic on convoys to Europe during World War II. The stories he told were post-VE day, when he was transferred to vessels in the Caribbean and the south Atlantic off of South America. He had some very funny stories. I didn’t find out about the North Atlantic until after he died and I found his papers. I wish I had known.
(The Merchant Marine lost the highest percentage of men, compared to the other service branches. In sheer numbers, the USMC lost the most men, but as a percentage of the service, is was a lower percentage number.)
The Federal Government screwed over the merchant seaman who served during the War. It wasn’t until the late 1980’s that they were finally granted the promised veteran status. My father never bothered. He felt it was too little, too late.
Related in that it is WW2 in the Pacific.
In December 1944, with no enemy involved the USN lost three ships sunk more than 800 sailors; Typhoon Cobra,
Typhoon Cobra – When the weather does more damage than the enemy – Drachinifel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CckJZPImtg
Then in June 1945 the same US Task Force ran into another; Typhoon Connie.
Two Typhoons Crippled Bull Halsey’s Task Force 38
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/two-typhoons-crippled-bull-halseys-task-force-38/
My father, ETO, had a friend later who was one of the first occupation troops in Nagasaki. The War Department gave him a card for eligibility to a special program for health care costs should something from that exposure surface in later life.
Chases Eagles,
Everyone was allowed to take pictures at the Arizona, but all were required to maintain absolute silence for those entombed below us. No problem with any pictures on the Missouri…what an amazing vessel it is. Again, I wish Neo would allow images to be posted here.
Compare the uniforms the top US generals wore back then with those worn today; even their dress uniforms.
Back then, they were rather minimalist in regards to how much stuff was pinned on their uniforms.
Now look at what the top present day US generals wear; they look like Latin American tin pot military dictators with dozens of colorful pins affixed to the front of their uniforms. One would think they had single-handily defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan !!
Oops, I forgot; they executed the most disorganized, pathetic, negligent, incompetent, worst withdrawal of probably any “organized’ army in the history of the USA.
Regardless, they probably have pinned to their colorful uniforms some sort of service pin – suitably color coded – demonstrating their Afghan service.
Not sure what changed, but IMHO, it was not for the better.
Changing topics.
RE: Maricopa County, Kari Lake trial.
Here is my cynical prediction.
The judge (or is it a jury?) will rule that despite all sorts of voting irregularities, it did not change the outcome of the election. Therefore, the election results will stand.
Just one more “win” for cheating demokrats and one more sitting around with their thumbs up their ass for the republican “leadership.”
Re: the FBI and Twitter
When it’s all said and done -even if the next president and senate and house all are republican dominated – no one will be punished or held to account.
A few folks may be forced to retire (with handsome pensions, paid for by you and me) , but they will just move on to highly paid positions with the media, some university or think tank.
JohnTyler,
2 thumbs up for your comments on Maricopa and the FBI… that’s exactly what will happen. No wonder we are all so cynical.
At what point does the level of corruption and dishonesty cause a true reckoning? Maybe a long way off. I keep thinking that if I didn’t follow the news in general, and the reporting from conservative sites, none of this would have much effect in my daily life. Most likely only as people are being shipped off to camps will it dawn on the population what has happened; and it will be too late by then.
I was 12 when VJ Day was announced. I remember it as a few days of relieved celebration. People driving down the street honking their horns. People displaying their flags. Smiles and good will were everywhere. Some businesses closed to give their employees a day or two to celebrate.
Like Pearl Harbor, I knew my life would change, and maybe for the better. And it did.
I look on the period from 1945 to 1950 as being a very happy time. What a monumental event it was.
Here’s a short video of Honolulu celebrating.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+of+VJ+Day+cel%2cebrations+in+Honolulu&view=detail&mid=64A2C9541812FFC905D064A2C9541812FFC905D0&FORM=VIRE
I cannot picture MacArthur, Nimitz, or Halsey going to work as lobbyists for the defense industry following their long and distinguished military careers,
MacArthur was offered and accepted the position of chairman of the board of Remington Rand. His annual director’s fees amounted to 3x his Army pension. He and his wife lived in style on the Upper East Side.
The USS Utah is also still there, on the other side of Ford Island. It too has Men entombed and is a War Grave. There have been Men that served on her at Pearl that have requested that their ashes be laid to rest with their Shipmates.
I was watching in harms way premingers adaptation of james bassett (ikes press secretary) war time novel. It opens on the night before pearl harbor where many characters lives are changed including kurt douglas’s character
To answer physicsguy’s endorsement of JohnTyler and retort, “At what point does the level of corruption and dishonesty cause a true reckoning?”
WHEN THE PEOPLE ARE VIOLENT ENOUGH TO GET THE RULING CLASS WELL AND GOOD FEARFUL FOR THEIR SAFETY.
Until such time, nothing will happen but more of the same.
THAT’S what history teaches us.
So by TJ logic all history in the USA since the Civil War has just been a march of corruption and dishonesty? Or were the “ruling class” part and parcel of the Civil War?
Miguel: I think of Bassett’s “Harm’s Way” as the naval equivalent to Anton Myrer’s “Once An Eagle”.
Try Bassett’s later novel “Commander Prince, USN”. It’s about the commander of a four-piper destroyer in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet from the very beginning of the war through the Battle of the Java Sea and subsequent ABDA actions around the Dutch East Indies. An interesting book about a mostly forgotten theater and a forgotten fleet.
The wrecks of the warships sunk in those battles were war graves. Sadly and infuriatingly, they have been “salvaged” for their metal and the remains of the sailors reportedly dumped in a shallow mass grave on Java:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/22/bodies-of-second-world-war-sailors-in-java-sea-dumped-in-mass-grave