I recall several important events of the war but few details. Across the Pacific, battles at Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guam Iwo Jima, Midway, Doolittle’s bombing of Japan, the recapture of the Philippines and of course, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For Europe the sweep across North Africa, invasions of Sicily and Solerno, the bombings of London, heavy aircraft bombings of Germany, the invasion at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, Crossing the Rhine and final defeat of Germany are still impressed on my mind.
For one major event I recall, details. That was VJ Day, victory over Japan, Aug. 15, 1945.I was stationed at Hugh Manley High School in Chicago undergoing training for electrical theory. We had a MIT instructor who knew enough physics to explain to us what had happened with the atomic bombs.
On VJ Day everybody except me were given a day’s leave to celebrate the end of the war. Unfortunately, it was my day for guard duty. I marched around an old high school carrying and unloaded rifle to protect the Navy’s minimal possessions from raucous invasion of civilians celebrating the event.
Every member that was sober enough to make it back had glorious stories of how the civilians had feed, drowned them with beer and kissed by every girl over 15 in Chicago. THE WAR WAS OVER.
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