V-J Day & Coming Home

"Japan Surrenders!" "War Over!"

The headlines of newspapers across the country declared the news when Japan surrendered unconditionally on August 14, 1945. Joy and relief sept the land as families anticipated the return of loved ones from the war.

In Minnesota, spontaneous celebrations erupted in the streets of cities and towns, and people flocked to nearby churches to give thanks for the hard-won peace. Arlett Bredeson of Minneapolis wrote of the crush of people downtown and the sight of tickertape raining down in the streets. Another Minneapolitan, Doris Shea Strand, also recalled the "wild celebration" in her hometown. When the formal surrender of Japan took place on September 2nd, President Truman declared that day the "official" V-J Day, and the celebrations were repeated.

For servicemen and women it was the beginning of the end, as they added up their service points in eager anticipation of coming home. For some, it would be several months before their release from duty, and military life took on a monotonous quality. Josephine Downey, a member of the WAC serving as a cryptographer in the Pacific, wrote that she didn't expect a quick discharge, but that she would be "mighty thrilled" to be home again. Anne Bosanko Green, who wrote a euphoric letter home at the height of the V-J (Victory over Japan) celebration on her base in California, later wrote of her boredom and strong desire to be free of the restrictions of army life.

For those families with gold stars in their windows, the end of the war was bittersweet. Too many young men lay in graves in foreign soil, and too many would return with war wounds, both physical and psychological. Lives would be resumed, though for many the adjustment back to civilian life would not be easy. A strong economy promised a brighter future, and the G.I. Bill of Rights provided many servicemen with opportunities for education and home ownership, though a housing shortage would put a damper on expectations of many.

The end of the war had a different impact on the thousands of young women who had filled the gap in the workforce or joined the military and found a new independence. They would relinquish their jobs to returning servicemen and most would return to traditional roles, setting the stage for the post-war Baby Boom.

Citations:

• V-J Day. Minnesota Historical Society: Minnesota's Greatest Generation, 2005-2007.
• Photo: Young women praying in church, Minneapolis, V-J Day.
• Formal Surrender of Japan, 2 September, 1945. Department of the Navy, Naval Historical Center, 1999.
• Bredeson, Arlett, Orville Mickelson Papers. Minnesota Historical Society Manuscripts Collection.
• Strand, Doris Shea; Thomas Saylor, Interviewer, Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project, Thomas Saylor; Minnesota Historical Society Oral History Collection, 2002.
• Downey, Josephine, Josephine Downey Papers, 1929-1947. Minnesota Historical Society Manuscripts Collection.
• Green, Anne Bosanko, Anne Bosanko Green and Family Correspondence, 1944-1946. Minnesota Historical Society Manuscripts Collection.
• G.I. Bill History. United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 2007.