A MEMORABLE DAY
August 10, 2015
By Olivene Godfrey
At the age of 87, my short term memory could be better. But, I have no problem with remembering incidents that occurred when I was a small child. So, when I started hearing and reading about the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which ended World War II, my mind went back to that first V-J day.
I had graduated from high school in the spring of that year and lived with my parents and sisters in a small north Georgia town, Calhoun. I was working in Dalton, Georgia, about 25 miles from Calhoun. Since the war began, no new cars had been made and our old car finally died. So, I rode a shuttle bus between the two towns.
On that August day in 1945, I was a passenger on the bus returning home after working all day. That day on the bus, we began seeing groups of people along side of the road and in yards dancing and jumping. Finally, the bus driver stopped and asked some of the people what had happened. They were laughing and crying as they chanted, "The war is over." Instantly, the bus passengers began laughing and shouting. Some began to pray. As you can imagine, it was a day to remember. When we arrived in Calhoun, the people were dancing in the street. Some chanted, "Our boys will be coming home soon."
We lived several blocks from downtown and as I walked home, more people were on the road. That night, we all gathered downtown. A huge bonfire burned and Japan's prime minister Tojo was burned in effigy while people shouted.
The next day we started hearing on the radio and reading in the newspapers about the incredible atomic bomb. A few days later, I saw a news reel in the local movie theatre of the told devastation of the cities that were bombed. When I hear foolish politicians talk of wanting to start a nuclear war, that we could survive one, I want to scream in rage.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam.)
By Olivene Godfrey
At the age of 87, my short term memory could be better. But, I have no problem with remembering incidents that occurred when I was a small child. So, when I started hearing and reading about the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which ended World War II, my mind went back to that first V-J day.
I had graduated from high school in the spring of that year and lived with my parents and sisters in a small north Georgia town, Calhoun. I was working in Dalton, Georgia, about 25 miles from Calhoun. Since the war began, no new cars had been made and our old car finally died. So, I rode a shuttle bus between the two towns.
On that August day in 1945, I was a passenger on the bus returning home after working all day. That day on the bus, we began seeing groups of people along side of the road and in yards dancing and jumping. Finally, the bus driver stopped and asked some of the people what had happened. They were laughing and crying as they chanted, "The war is over." Instantly, the bus passengers began laughing and shouting. Some began to pray. As you can imagine, it was a day to remember. When we arrived in Calhoun, the people were dancing in the street. Some chanted, "Our boys will be coming home soon."
We lived several blocks from downtown and as I walked home, more people were on the road. That night, we all gathered downtown. A huge bonfire burned and Japan's prime minister Tojo was burned in effigy while people shouted.
The next day we started hearing on the radio and reading in the newspapers about the incredible atomic bomb. A few days later, I saw a news reel in the local movie theatre of the told devastation of the cities that were bombed. When I hear foolish politicians talk of wanting to start a nuclear war, that we could survive one, I want to scream in rage.
See you next time. Comments welcome. (As told to Tam.)
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home