Every Day Is Special: WWII

Showing posts with label WWII. Show all posts

August 14 - V-J Day

Posted on August 14, 2018

Is Victory over Japan Day today, August 14?

Or tomorrow, August 15?

Or September 2?

Yes.

And is it V-J Day or V-P Day?

Yes!

The day that Japan surrendered, World War II was FINALLY over. We're talking about a war that lasted six years, that involved almost every nation in the world, and that was the deadliest conflict in human history.

So V-J Day was a really, really, really big deal.

Then...how can it have four different names and three different dates?

It's easy. The peace was just like the war: global. And things that are important worldwide just HAVE to vary, especially given different languages and different timezones.

Only the few countries colored gray were NOT involved
in WWII.

On the afternoon of August 15, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. Because of that fact, some nations such as the United Kingdom celebrate V-J Day on August 15, and many nations celebrate August 15 under some other name. For example, Gwangbokjeol is celebrated on August 15 in South Korea; the name means "the day the light returned." In Japan August 15 is commemorated as (unofficially) Shūsen-kinenbi, or "memorial day for the end of the war," and (officially) Senbotsusha o tsuitōshi heiwa o kinensuru hi, or "the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace."

The afternoon of August 15 in Japan is the night of August 14 in the United States and all over the Americas. Time zone-wise, Japan is 16 hours ahead of the U.S. Because of this some nations and Americans celebrate V-J Day on August 14. The only U.S. state that still officially commemorates the end of World War II, Rhode Island, celebrates "Victory Day" on the second Monday of August.

The name V-J Day is also used to commemorate the date that the formal surrender ceremony occurred. This ceremony occurred in Tokyo Bay, Japan, on September 2, 1945. Right then and there, President Truman declared September 2 to be the official V-J Day for the United States.

In Australia, which of course lies in the Pacific Ocean, the commemoration of the end of the war is called Victory in the Pacific, and it is shortened to V-P Day. This name is actually much more like the commemoration of the formal surrender of the Nazis, which is celebrated everywhere on May 8 as V-E Day. The "E" in V-E Day is "Europe," so that day is Victory in Europe - not Victory over Germany!

There have been some efforts in the U.S. and elsewhere to adopt the Victory in the Pacific, or V-P, name, because Japan is now one of the United States' closest allies. Also, war is horrific, and many people are super conflicted about several U.S. actions: the Japanese-American internment and the use of two nuclear bombs.

Yikes!

This headline is terribly racist.
Notice that most newspapers managed
to give the news without being so racist!

However, other people argue that changing the name V-J to V-P is insulting to those soldiers who died at the hands of the Japanese and to soldiers who were prisoners of the Japanese and were badly mistreated.

It's all very complicated. But one thing I know for sure:

Peace is better than war. Global peace is a lot better than global war. This is a good day to remember that, and to work toward more peace and less war!

Also on this date:

Shop Online for Groceries Day

Anniversary of the start AND finish of a very long, very tall construction project

Anniversary of the Printing of the Oldest Printed Book in the World (?)

Honey Spas in Russia

World Lizard Day

National Navajo Code Talkers

Independence Day in Pakistan

Palindrome Day 8-14-18

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

July 14 – Happy Birthday, President Ford!

Posted on July 14, 2017

You probably know that, if a United States president dies in office, then the vice president is sworn in as president. (Eight presidents have died in office, so far, and have been replaced by their V-Ps.)

And if a president resigns, or is impeached and convicted, or is removed for cause according to the rules of the 25th Amendment, again, the vice president is sworn in as president. (Only one president has resigned; no presidents have been removed from office because of impeachment or according to the rules in the 25th Amendment.)

Of all the vice presidents who became president when the office became vacant, Gerald Ford was the only one to become president because of a resignation. On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment for attempting to cover up the Watergate break-in, plus other "dirty tricks" and abuses of power. Vice President Ford was sworn in as president that day.

Ford was also the only American president who had never been elected as president or vice president. He had been appointed as the vice president under Nixon when Nixon's elected vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned. (Agnew faced criminal charges of extortion, tax fraud, bribery, and conspiracy! Wow!)

The first four V-Ps to become president were not elected after serving their partial term - and therefore they were president but were never elected president. This group includes John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, and Chester Arthur.

However, in more recent times, three V-Ps who became president ran for re-election and won a second term. These include Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Ford broke the newer pattern. In 1976, he ran against Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, and Ford lost.

Ford's time in the Oval Office wasn't amazing. He pardoned Nixon (a controversial act), and during his presidency South Vietnam was conquered by North Vietnam. Also, during Ford's term the American economy faced growing inflation and a recession. Wham, wham - double bad news.

More "wham, wham!"

Back before his career in politics, Gerald Ford was in the Navy during World War II. There, too, he faced double bad news: his aircraft carrier, the USS Monterey, was rolling dangerously in giant waves kicked up by a typhoon (a hurricane storm) AND was on fire!

How does a ship catch on fire during a wet, wet storm?

Well, with all that pitching and rolling and yawing, in the storm, several aircraft had torn loose from their cables and collided on the hangar deck!

You see, the hangar deck is the carrier's "garage," where most of the aircraft are kept when not in use. It's not the top deck, which is the flight deck. Rain wasn't falling below decks!

Reporting for duty the morning of December 18, 1944, Gerald Ford was almost swept overboard as the ship rolled. He lost his footing and slid to the edge of the deck. The two-inch steel ridge around the edge of the carrier helped him catch himself and roll into the catwalk below the deck.

At that point, Ford was ordered to face death a second time: he was asked to assess the fire raging below. He managed to gather the information needed and get back safely to his commanding officer, and the ship's crew was able to put the fire out.

With the fire put out, the aircraft carrier limped out of the "Pacific theater" of the war and over to Bremerton, Washington, for repairs. Not only was Ford lucky to have survived, all his shipmates were, as well, because their fleet lost three destroyers and more than 800 sailors during that dreadful typhoon!