as a bomb three million times more powerful than
deadly explosive TNT. It carried a force equal
the usual peak bomb load of 2,000 Superforts.
In Washington, President Truman told the story
(the bomb—how, in 1041, President Roosevelt and
time Minister Churchill had begun to pool the
[sources of the two nations and Canada in a quest
ir a weapon that even then German scientists were
feverishly seeking. Two billion dollars were spent
(the greatest scientific gamble in history; 125,000
•orkers at one time vere employed in two great
glories in Tennessee and Washington; through four
rears barely a dozen persons knew the secret.
\ test had been made of the bomb in the New
lexico desert on July 16. The steel tower from
rt,jch it had been dropped had been vaporized, and
eneath what was once the tower was a crater so
eep that special tanks were used to explore it. A
fht of a kind never before seen on earth, many
mes more powerful than the midday sun, had lit
j the desert and mountains for miles around. More
an five miles away men were knocked off their
et from the blast; its heat was felt 100 miles away,
id shaking of earth was felt 250 miles away.
This was the kind of bomb that was dropped on
iroshima. America warned that others were coming.
JAPAN GIVES UP
'HE Japanese at first minimized the bomb’s effect
-but stopped aU traffic to Hiroshima. Later they
nounced the Americans as “barbarians. Then
ey announced the damage as “considerable.
The war went on. A carrier task force hit Shang
i. Other carrier planes hit Wake Island. More
m 300 Liberators, Mitchells and Invaders fire
mbed the city of Kagoshima on Kyushu Super
tresses struck ^awata
On the evening of August 8, two days after the
it atom bomb fell, the Soviet Union declared war
ainst Japan, effective the next day.
Hardly had the Japanese received the news when
other atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, on
nishu. The Third Fleet went back to shelling
inshu. Soviet troops began slicing into Manchuria.
Japan still had perhaps two million troops on
; home islands; another million in Manchuria and
area, almost a million in China, perhaps 71)0,000
ore in Formosa, Indo-China, Thailand Malaya
? Netherlands East Indies and by-passed points
But she no longer had a navy. All she could put
sea were two light carriers, two cruisers, 26 de
oyers and 22 submarines. She had no air force
it could put up a good fight.
[apan had had enough.
In Friday, August 10, the Japanese announced
e august wish of His Majesty to restore the gen
1 peace” and a willingness to accept the terms
’otsdam if they would not prejudice “the preroga
» of His Majesty as a sovereign ruler.”
he Allies conferred. The next day the Japanese
their answer: Unconditional Surrender. Em
>T Hitohito would be retained to make the our
ier effective, but he would be subject to the
ed command, and he would remain only so long
he Allies permitted him to, or until the Japanese
expressed their choice in a free election
or three days the world waited. Finally on Tues
, August 14, at 7 P M.. President Truman called
smen to announce that Japan had agreed to
ender unconditionally
he kamikaze kept peeking at Halsey 's fleet. Planes
eked U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over Tokyo
stance continued in NLaachuria, China and in
neo. Then, as remote enemy commanders got
d of the suirendej, ■war slowed down to a stop
ut there was still much waiting. At first the Japa
; said they could not understand the orders ol
era! MacArthur, named Allied occupation chief,
hoons around Tokyo delayed the final signing
alsey’s fleet moved up to Sagami Bay, and then,
r air-borne troops landed at Atsugi airport near
yo, steamed into Tokyo Bay. More troops came
i take harbor forts near Tokyo. With his 'beach
I” in hand, MacArthur stepped on enemy soil
irohito’s representative—Foreign Minister Ma
li Shigemitsu—boarded the U.S.S. Missouri on
fay, September 2, IfMS, .and there signed away
in’s army, navy and air force and all her ill—
;n gains in 50 years off aggression,
that way World War 13 ended. It had oust the
id perhaps 50,000,i000 casualties and millions of
irs in destruf-tioB. America alone had lost more
a quarter of a million killed—more than a mil
in total war casualties.
it perhaps the most terrifying bloodshed wi man
’s history had taught the world something. Never
re in mankind’s history, it seemed, were the
ins of the world so determined to prevent such
locaust from happening again. The great powers
united to wipe out the aggressors. On Septem
2, 1945, they were united to wipe out war.
the annals of the organization they had erected
eserve this unity—the United Nations—the story
>e future would be written.
(This may serve as a permanent war record for service men and women)
WORLD WAR II SERVICE RECORD
MAMIE_—_ SERIAL NUMBER
BRANCH OF SERVICE___RANK AT ENTRY
WHEN AND WHERE ENTERED SERVICE
WHEN AND WHERE DISCHARGED_- - RANK AT DISCHARGE
TRAINING CAMPS
U. S. SERVICE—INSTALLATIONS
TYPE OF TRAINING
UNIT
OFFICERS
OFFICERS
DATES ENTERED, LEFT
DATES ENTERED, LEFT
I
OVERSEAS TRANSPORT—SHIP
i
SAILED FROM
ARRIVED AT
OVERSEAS SERVICE-THEATERS
OFFICERS
DATES ENTERED, LEFT
ACTIONS SEEN (DATES AND OTHER DETAILS)
CITATIONS, DECORATIONS, PROMOTIONS, ETC. (DATES AND OTHER DETAILS)
OUTSTANDING PLACES VISITED (DATES AND OTHER DETAILS)
GENERAL REMARKS
r
(P«sle
A F<avor4»e
Service Pt*©»«
Here)