V-J Day

The end of the second world war, Victory over Japan Day, August 15, 1945. The initial announcement of the cessation of hostilities by Imperial Japanese Forces, commemorated in Tokyo Harbor on the Battleship Missouri on Sept. 2, with the signing of the "instruments of surrender."

Here's a photo of American workers at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, celebrating the end of the war which they hastened, as part of the Manhattan Project, the development of atomic weapons. Their mission was to separate uranium and plutonium used in "Little Boy" and "Fat Man." These Americans helped bring the war to an end, and in so doing saved countless lives from a prolonged and brutal invasion of the Japanese home islands.

At the time, they likely did not fully comprehend the magnitude of their contribution to the war effort. All they knew then was that it was over, and they celebrated with the rest of the nation.

But their contribution should be remembered.

posted by Dave In Texas at 09:12 PM

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