The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • E8

A8 Wednesday, a ugus 30, 2017 The 1 V-J DAY 72 yea a te When World War II ended VICTOR JORGENSEN AP FILE PHOTO Famous photo(s) Perhaps the most famous moment from the original V-J Day was a kiss between two strangers, captured by two photographers from different angles. Alfred photo was published in Life. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen had his photo (left) published in The New York Times. Many people claimed to be the subjects of the photos, but it has since been established that the woman was Greta Zimmer Friedman. The man in the photo has been identified as George Mendonca, although that claim has been disputed.

Repeating history V-J Day was first celebrated on Aug. 15, 1945, following announcement of its unconditional surrender. However, President Harry S. Truman declared the original V-J Day as Sept. 2, 1945, the day when the formal signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender took place.

Further complicating matters, the time difference between Japan and the U.S. mainland means celebrations began in the United States on Aug. 14 and Sept. 1. ASSOCIATED PRESS Japanese surrender signatories are shown on ept.

2, 1945, arriving on board the uss Missouri in ok yo Bay to participate in surrender ceremonies. Left to right, front row: Minister Mamoru higemitsu, who signed on behalf of the Japanese emperor, and en. oshijir mezu, who signed on behalf of the Imperial Japanese eneral Headquarters. econd row in top hats: Katsuo Okazaki and oshikazu ase. Others are unidentified.

nal days April 1-June 21, 1945 he Battle of Okinawa occurs. More than 85,000 ser vicemen are killed while the Japanese casualties are estimated to be more than 140,000. One-fourth of the Okinawan civilian population die, many in mass suicides ordered by army. May 8, 1945 he war in ur ope ends as the a llies accept azi unconditional surrender. July 26, 1945 he Potsdam eclaration is issued.

he statement issued by Pr esident Harry ruman, Prime Minister Clement a tlee and China government chairman Chiang Kai-shek called for unconditional surrender and the complete disarmament of its military forces. In the ultimatum, Japan was threatened with if it did not comply. July 29, 1945 Japan rejects the Potsdam eclaration. Aug. 6, 1945 he nited tates dr ops an atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, on Hiroshima.

Aug. 9, 1945 he nited tates dr ops a second atomic bomb, nicknamed Fat Man, on agasaki. he uss declares war in Japan and begins its invasion of Manchuria. a lso known as Operation a ugust torm, it as the last campaign of the war. Aug.

15, 1945 mperor Hirohito announces surrender in a radio address. Sept. 2, 1945 he official surrender ceremony is conducted upon the uss Missouri in ok yo Bay. Sept. 8, 1951 he eaty of an Francisco is signed by representatives from 48 nations, officially ending the a llied Occupation of Japan.

ources: www.history.army.mil, a archives LEE ENTERPRISES aturday marks the 72nd anniversary of Victory over Japan Day. More commonly known as V-J Day, it celebrates surrender to Allied Forces in 1945, officially ending World War II. The beginning of the original Associated Press report from Sept. 2, 1945: ABOARD THE USS MISSOURI IN TOKYO BAY (Sunday, Sept. 2, Japan surrendered formally and unconditionally to the Allies today in a 20-minute ceremony which ended just as the sun burst through low-hanging clouds as a shining symbol to a ravaged world now done with war.

Twelve signatures, requiring only a few minutes to inscribe on the articles of surrender, ended the bloody Pacific conflict. On behalf of Emperor Hirohito, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the government and Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu for the Imperial General staff. Gen. Douglas MacArthur then accepted on behalf of the United Nations, declaring: 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 One by one, the Allied representatives stepped forward and signed the document that blighted dream of an empire built on bloodshed and tyranny.

First was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for the United States, then the representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet and China fluttered from the veranda deck, polished and scrubbed as never before. More than 100 high-ranking military and naval officers watched. Supreme Commander for the Allied General MacArthur told the Japanese, announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied Japan surrendered to Allied Forces in 1945, putting an end to the six-year con ict NATION Robert Tomaski NORMAL Robert D.

Tomaski, 58, of Normal, passed away at 7:41 Friday (Aug. 25, 2017) at his home. His family will receive friends from 3 to 4 Saturday at Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington, followed by a memorial service at 4 at the funeral home with Deacon Bob Hermes officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the charity of the choice. Bob was born July 28, 1959, in Momence, a son of Leonard and Helen Mabel Frank Tomaski.

He is survived by two sons, Alexander and Nicholas Tomaski, both of Bloomington; and a sister, Roslind (Michael) Ford, Gainesville, Fla. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Alan Tomaski. Bob graduated from Illinois State University. He began his career as a videographer at WEEK-TV, Peoria. He then worked in video production with his own company, Video Communication Resources, and for several years at ISU before his retirement.

To express condolences, please visit www.carmody ynn.com. SETH BORENSTEIN AND FRANK BAJAK Associated Press HOUSTON system of bayous and reservoirs was built to drain a tabletop-flat city prone to heavy rains. But its Depression-era design is no match for the stresses brought by explosive development and ever-wetter storms. Nearly any city would be overwhelmed by the more than 4 feet of rain that Hurricane Harvey has dumped since Friday, but Houston is unique in its regular massive floods and inability to cope with them. This is the third 100-year-or-more type of flood in three years.

Experts blame too many people, too much concrete, insufficient upstream storage, not enough green space for water drainage and, especially, too little regulation. is the most flood-prone city in the United said Rice University environmental engineering professor Phil Bedient. one is even a close second not even New Orleans, because at least they have pumps The entire system is designed to clear out only 12 to 13 inches of rain per 24-hour period, said Jim Blackburn, an environmental law professor at Rice University: so obsolete just Also, Harris County has the loosest, least-regulated drainage policy and system in the entire country, Bedient said. how the system is supposed to work: The county that encompasses Houston has 2,500 miles of bayous and channels and more than 300 storm-water holding basins, which are designed to fill up during intense downpours and drain slowly as high waters recede. Water is supposed to flow west to east through bayous, which are tidal creeks that often have concrete improvements to make water flow and are connected to the Galveston Bay.

When big rains come, officials also activate two normally dry reservoirs, closing the floodgates to collect the water and keep it from overwhelming the downtown area. But the main bayou through downtown Houston, Buffalo Bayou, pretty much still a dirt mud channel like you would have seen 100 years ago, just a little cleaned said U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Jeff East, who is based in Houston. And because the coastal plain is so flat, only sloping about a foot per mile, the water flow out of the bayous fast, Bedient said. Also, some of the bayous, such as Brays, can only handle 10-year storms, he said.

Harris County leave enough right-of-way space to expand its bayous, Bedient said. And widening projects have been slow and inadequate. Drainage grid BRETT COOMER HOUSTON CHRONICLE In this aerial photo, water is released uesda from the a ddicks eservoir as floodwaters rise from opical torm Har vey in Houston. JOSH LEDERMAN AND CATHERINE LUCEY Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. Some seek their distance, delicately taking issue with President Donald most controversial remarks.

Others decide safer to stand by him. Most would rather say nothing at all. Under intense pressure, members of Cabinet are struggling to walk the line between rebuking their notoriously thin- skinned boss and defending comments that struck even many loyal Republicans as offensive. Though the friction has been building for months, polarizing response to white nationalism in Charlottesville was a catalyst, with fallout that has continued to dog his administration more than two weeks later. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the latest administration member forced to take a position on handling of Charlottesville, in which Trump described people at a neo-Nazi rally as fine Cabinet struggles with how to defend Trump.