After covering the solemn ceremony for Veterans Day at the Court of Honor, I ventured near the wharf to cool off and noticed with new eyes this monument that marked the end of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific.
Stepping on the tiled cement, I approached the tablets and read for the first time what was written there.
The middle tablet bears the following inscription:
PEACE AT LAST. At 6:35 August 15. 1945, the Commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz ordered all offensive action against the Japanese to cease. All the guns of war fell silent. The long post war process of healing, reconstruction and the building of a basis for mutual trust and lasting peace began. The signing of the peace treaty between Japan, the United States and the Allied Powers on September 8, 1951 at the San Francisco Peace Conference formally brought World War 11 to a close.
Flanking the middle tablet were two tablets signed by President Harry S. Truman and Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida attesting to their desire for peace and reconciliation.
Joggers and bikers around the area usually pass by without paying attention to this marble tablet, or maybe they already know it is there and think no big deal of it.
Here is something that the present and the future generations must continue to be aware of. The tablet is just a piece of marble, yet it is an instrument announcing to the world that although the scars of the war will always be there peace has finally been attained. It signifies an end to a tragedy, to a war that claimed millions of lives all over the world.
If you’ve got some free time, try to visit American Memorial Park’s Peace Memorial. It is one place that a lot of people from troubled parts of the world would like to see in their countries.
