Eighty years ago today, on September 2, 1945, a ceremony
took place in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Aboard the anchored battleship USS Missouri,
representatives of the Imperial Japanese government and military signed a set
of documents certifying their acceptance of the terms of surrender. With that
act, the world, which had been at war in some form or another since 1931,
finally found peace. Humanity, in an all-too-rare moment, was able to look
toward the future with hope.
Peace is fleeting, as history has shown over and over.
Humans have never had to search far for a reason to fight. Starting a war is
much easier than ending one. Still, we cherish those rare moments because peace
gives us a chance to breathe, to live, love, and dream.
War is terrible, destructive, and costly. Novelist John Ball noted that the only reason
a sane government gets involved in one is because the alternative is even less
acceptable. The United States, which had
avoided global power and responsibility like the plague, was forced to accept
that role in the world by two nations, Japan and Germany, which lusted after it. We learned a hard lesson: that if we try to
hide from the world, the world will come looking for us. And the rest of the world also learned that
an America, thus armed, united, and engaged, is unassailable.
And yet, despite our ability to fight, we have never relinquished
our humanity. The willingness of our
service members to act with compassion and generosity, even on the most
war-torn battlefields, is extraordinary.
When we emerge victorious, we don’t impose oppression on our former
enemies. Instead, we respond with aid,
money, resources, and effort to help rebuild those countries and their
economies. I was watching a World War II
documentary which included an interview with a former member of the German
Wehrmacht. After seeing the effect of
the Marshall Plan on his country, he said, “It is never good to lose a
war. But if you do, there is no better
country to lose to than America.”
World War II was long, bitter, and protracted. However, from the day the war ended, through
today, Germany and Japan are among our staunchest allies, trading partners, and
best friends.
“A better world…" General MacArthur called this
“cherished hope.” That is what lies at the heart of most Americans because we
know instinctively that a world where freedom, prosperity, happiness, and
opportunity exist for everyone is a world that will never need to wage war.
September 2, 1945, was so much more than the statutory end
of a world war. It was a day when the world finally found peace. It was a day
without death. It was a day when hope was reborn. This is what we celebrate
today. Peace, surely. But it is hope that allows us to look forward with
optimism. For the people who inhabit this world, there is no better gift.
Let us honor this day. Let us cherish the memory of that
day. And for the sake of the world, may
we always strive to wage peace.
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