VFW Post 3278 Observed V-J Day (Victory Over Japan) on Monday, September 1st and awarded the Commemorative Victory Medal to one of its own members, WWII Veteran PFC George T. Griffin.
Post Commander James Masters read the following V-J Observance:
The Japanese made good on their decision to attack the American Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor Hawaii On December 7th, 1941 at 7:48 a.m. There were over 2900 service member causalities that day with over 2300 killed and over 1000 wounded. Civilian casualties accounted for another 57 killed and the like number wounded.
The fleet lost 18 ships as sunk or damaged and over 161 airplanes were lost. One of the greatest losses of life was aboard the battleship AZ which over 1700 sailors and marines lost their lives when a Japanese bomb detonated the ships magazine. The Pacific Fleet had been crippled.
Within seven months (June 1942) of the Pearl Harbor attack, the under-strength United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet took on the Japanese Imperial Navy at a small island in the middle of the Pacific called Midway. The Japanese Fleet was then crippled. History will write of that event, “The war was over at that point the Japanese just didn’t get it”. At the end point in August 1945 the United States Home Front had replaced many times over the losses of Pearl Harbor. There was no Imperial Japanese Navy left, nor could the Japanese field creditable air forces. After Midway, the defeat of Japan was only a matter of time.
A little after noon Japanese Standard Time on August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan had accepted of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. He broadcast it the Japanese people over the radio. Earlier the same day, the Japanese government had broadcast an announcement over Radio Tokyo that “acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation (would be) coming soon,” and had advised the Allies of the surrender by sending a cable to U.S. President Harry S Truman via the Swiss diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C. A nation-wide broadcast by President Truman was aired at seven o’clock p.m. (daylight time in Washington, D.C.) on August 14 announcing the communication and that the formal event was scheduled for September 2. In his announcement of Japan’s surrender on August 14, President Truman said that “the proclamation of V-J Day must wait upon the formal signing of the surrender terms by Japan.”
The formal signing of the Japanese Instrument of surrender took place on board the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, and at that time Truman declared September 2 to be the official V-J Day.
VFW Senior Vice Commander Todd Powell presented the World War II Commemorative Victory Medal to PFC Griffin (pictured above) during the observance. Griffin was the guest of honor and was accompanied by his wife Nelda and her sister.
PFC George T. Griffin met the requirement for the World War II Commemorative Victory Medal as set by the United States Congress and the Department of Defense. Griffin’s other awards include the Bronze Star Medal, American Theater Campaign, European Campaign Medal with 3 bronze campaign stars, the Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
Photo contributed.
