In September 1945, World War II ended with the surrender of Japan. This event was marked with jubilation everywhere. In London, New York and Washington DC the streets filled spontaneously with giant crowds happy that the war was over. To paraphrase a beloved wartime song, "the lights went on again all over the world."
As World War II closed, the US Marine Corps was preparing for its most challenging test–the planned Invasion of Japan. In camps all over the Pacific, Marines breathed a sigh of relief knowing they wouldn't face another beach head. The Marines who had done so much for victory were going home and they were happy to be alive.
In tents and Quonset huts, ball fields and recreation centers, Marines came together to celebrate a new lease on life. For them, victory was a bittersweet thing. The ones who were alive were glad to be so. But they knew better than anyone the cost of winning the war.
VJ Day passed quietly in other places. In cemeteries all over the world, the flag flew above the graves of Marines who could never take part in the victory celebrations. And in homes all over America, their families, sweethearts and friends faced a tragic reality: for them, there would be no homecomings from World War II for their Marines.
Across the world, the path of the Second World War was marked by white crosses and Stars of David. 25,160 Marines and their brother Corpsmen rested forever beneath mounds of shining coral, black sand, or lush grass. Some of the Marines slept forever in their ships and planes, locked at the bottom of the deep ocean. And others were to spend eternity in forgotten caves and overgrown jungle clearings, classified as "missing–presumed dead."
As we reflect today on the fallen, it is easy to trivialize their sacrifice. We say, "They died for freedom," or, "They were the heroes." Both are factual, but they mask other important truths. First, most of the dead didn't want to die–they wanted to live, but not many had a choice. Second, their brother Marines who survived were, for the rest of their lives, left with the haunting question, "Why Joe, or Pete, or Gizmo, and not me?"
Victory came at a high cost and the bill is still being paid. Sons and daughters grew up without their fathers. Wives, fiancees and girlfriends somehow found a way to go on but never forgot. Mothers and fathers, themselves almost all dead now, carried the horrible memory of their children dying before them. And a generation of Marines still carries the burden of their buddies lost in World War II—a familiar weight, like the packs and rifles they shouldered when they were young.
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(above) Last Rites for the Sergeant, by Kerr Eby - 1944
charcoal - US Navy Combat Art Collection |
"He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die
that freedom might live, and grow, and increase its blessings.
Freedom lives, and through it, he lives–
in a way that humbles the undertakings of most men."
Franklin Roosevelt |
(above) The 5th Marine Division Cemetery
Iwo Jima–1945 USMC Photo
(above) An unknown Marine's grave
2nd Marine Division Cemetery
Saipan–1944 USMC Photo
(above) Pvt Ted Miller, USMC
Co. K, 3rd Bn, 22nd Marines
KIA 24 March 1944–Ebon Atoll
USMC Photo
SEMPER FIDELIS, FRATER AETERNI
NOTE 1: Casualty figures extracted from the History of USMC Operations in World War II
NOTE 2: Total casualty figures include 19,733 Marines killed in action, 4,778 non-battle deaths and 649 US Navy personnel killed in action serving with Marine units.
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