2 SEPTEMBER 1945 - VICTORY OVER JAPAN (V-J DAY).

On 2 September 1945, the Empire of Japan formally surrendered to the Allies, or "United Nations," in a ceremony conducted aboard the battleship USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Harbor.

Although the Japanese government notified the Allies of its acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender Accord on 15 August, the instrument of surrender documents were not signed until this date.

Designated as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in the Pacific (SCAP) for the occupation of Japan, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur signed the "instrument of surrender," on behalf of the United Nations, and declared, "It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past.”

Ten more signatures were made, by representatives of the United States, China, Britain, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, respectively. U.S. Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed for the United States.

When the 20-minute-long ceremony ended, the last true world war, and most devastating armed conflict in history, was officially declared over.

We pause to honor and remember all U.S. service members as well as Allied military members for their service and sacrifice in the Pacific Theater.

The Pacific campaigns remind us of our Army's capacity and adaptability by its record whether attacking overland, from the air and sea, and fighting to victory regardless of terrain that varied from tropical jungles, coastal plain and rugged mountains to barren tundra and cities.

Of the 91 U.S. Army divisions formed during World War II, 88 were deployed to combat theaters, with 22 in the Pacific Theater.

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