70 Years Since V-J Day

This weekend marked the 70th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day (AKA V-J Day). The Empire of Japan surrendered to the United States on August 14, 1945 and officially ended World War II.
I asked my grandparents where they were when they heard the news.
My grandmother was leaving work when she heard the war was over. She worked at a bank in Logan, Utah that was on the town square. She says she came out of the building to people celebrating on Main Street and making lots of noise. I bet it's a day she will never forget.
My grandfather heard the news over the radio as his ship was approximately 5 miles out of San Fransisco. My grandfather was a merchant marine during the war. His ship was carrying army supplies on its way Okinawa when news of the war came in. When the ship got to Okinawa, the army no longer needed the supplies so Grandpa and his crew were sent to The Philippines. They unloaded the supplies in The Philippines and then were sent to Japan. Grandpa said his ship was retrofitted with bunks and started transporting soldiers back home to America. He was "stranded" in Japan and staying with the Army for 6 weeks but as he was not a regular solider, he could come and go and explore some of Japan. I remember Grandpa telling me he and some friends would get their daily rations and sell whatever they didn't need or use to local Japanese, like cigarettes. It must have been a very interesting time to be in Japan. After 6 weeks, Grandpa was sent back to America and he said that was the worst trip across the Pacific. The soldier in the top bunk got sea sick and made the trip miserable so Grandpa found a spot on deck and never went to his bunk again. Grandpa never got sea sick as a merchant marine.
I am so grateful to have these stories told to me by my grandparents. They have witnessed so much history in their 87 years and I love to hear their eyewitness accounts of major 20th Century events.
I want to write down all of their stories so we never forget them.

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