Victory – celebration or remembrance?
A little after noon on this day in 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced he had accepted the terms of the Potsdam declaration, effectively ending World War II.
Although their surrender would not be signed until September 2, it is today that we celebrate Victory Over Japan Day. The Prince of Wales and David Cameron will join veterans at the Cenotaph in London this afternoon to mark the loss of almost 30,000 UK lives in the Far East.
It’s 2010, and the concept of Victory in todays conflicts is no longer as clear as it was. Today’s wars against Al-Qaeda and the Taleban will not be ended by the signing of a treaty, nor the acceptance of defeat. Todays wars are ideological, rather than territorial. George Bush’s announcement of Victory In Iraq on 2003 was widely ridiculed, with even his administration admitting that the war might not be over “from a legal point of view” Only this month did Barack Obama say he’ll withdraw 90,000 American troops by the end of August and the remaining 50,000 before the end of next year.
I remember thinking that Bush used the word Victory as if the world had remained in 1945. There is no such thing as Victory in war, there is only the sterile completion of objectives, or a forced compromise where adversaries struggle through to the end of negotiations so they can sell their role to their people and claim what they have done is necessary. I understand why, in the course of a war, the term Victory is used in order to build morale, and focus people towards achieving what people believe is right, and true.
But why do we use the word 65 years later, when most of those who fought for that Victory are no longer here? The world rightly celebrated in 1945 and it must have felt fantastic. But V-J Day is no longer a celebration of personal fight, or of the celebration our friend’s and family’s personal sacrifice, loss or toil were finally, after all that time, worth it. In 1945, yes. The war was won through the blood, sweat and tears of the entire country, and its end was a wonderful celebration.
In 2010, no. It is no longer a celebration of military might. It is no longer a celebration of the use of nuclear weapons to bomb an enemy into submission, or the ability to threaten a country’s people with retribution for their continued actions.
V-J day is now a commemoration, and the word Victory is no longer an appropriate way to remember the war. It commemorates the dead, and the sacrifices of those who died for the causes they, and their political masters, believed in. There is a distinct difference between a celebration of Victory over an enemy and the commemoration of our forefathers who lived in a time we hope never to see again. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
The Prime Minister has today said
“We must never forget the sacrifices made and the dedication showed by those who served our country in the Second World War. They fought and suffered around the world in ferocious conditions. They witnessed incomprehensible horrors. They lost their lives – and many were imprisoned. And they did all this for us – to protect the freedoms we all enjoy today. VJ Day, the day the Second World War ended, is a time for this generation to reflect and show its gratitude to our veterans for their bravery, dedication and sacrifice.”
If, seven years after Victory in Iraq seems in bad taste, surely its time to revisit renaming V-J Day. There have been several attempts to do so, all of which have failed. The closest any of us have come is an American resolution in 1990 stating it is not a day to ‘express satisfaction’ at the destruction and death caused by Fat Man and Little Boy.
The Japanese name for the day is apparently usually known as the “memorial day for the end of the war” but was officially named “the day for mourning of war dead and praying for peace” in 1982. After 65 years, there is no blame – or admittance of blame – in this label. But likewise, after 65 years, there should be no hint of celebration in ours. Yes, we should remember the causes of the war. Yes, we should remember the moral reasons for which it was fought. But remembrance and celebration are two very different things.
As time moves on, we should reflect the fact V-J Day is a time to remember the lessons World War II taught us, as remembrance Day in November does. That’s the point, after all.
