V-J Day at Local Museum

on 2 September, we attended a very interesting V-J Day Commemorative Event at the local museum - National Museum of the Pacific War. We were glad we had found out about it and were able to participate.

With the buffet treats and drinks, in a way, it was as if we had celebrated the end of the war 80 years ago (considering that, according to quantum physics, past, presence, and future happen at the same time, now).

The program of the commemoration, with the national Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance was quite patriotic.

The presence of the two WWII made it all quite special.

From the right (in white shirts) - Mr. Donald Graves and Mr. Ken Jones (USS Colorado veteran).

Introduction by Mr. David Shields, the Museum Director,

was followed by the lecture delivered by Mr. Jonathan Parshall.

During the event, I thought about my grandfather Józef, who was a POW and then a labor camp for five years of WW2.

We were honored to meet Mr. Donald Graves - Iwo Jima survivor.

Corporal Graves was a flamethrower of the 5th Marine Division, 28th Regiment, 2nd Battalion Dog Company. He was 17 when he joined the US Marine Corps in 1942.

An expected survival time of a flamethrower at Iwo Jima was 4 minutes. Miraculously, Mr. Graves lived through the battle with no harm to his body. You can learn more about the man from the interview with Mr. Graves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=N6naKvmyWAw

PS

Listening to the lecture mentioned above, I realized that at the history classes I had attended in my childhood (Easter European block), it was never mentioned  the Soviet entered Japan after the A bombs were dropped on the country by the US. I thought I might be wrong so asked my sister about that. She confirmed that she had not been taught about that either.