I remember VJ Day in August, 1945. I was there for the huge parade in downtown Des Moines. Many lined the streets, and others drove in their cars, convertible tops down as we all celebrated. On that day we celebrated Harry Truman and the crew of Enola Gay, and the crew of Bockcar and their Little Boy and Fat Man bombs dropped respectively on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that resulted in the unconditional surrender of Japan.
I have a cousin, still living, who was involved in the production and shipment of uranium to the University of Chicago from the Ames Lab of the Atomic Energy Commission in Ames, Iowa at Iowa State College. a few years later I too worked at Ames Lab while a student at Iowa State.
I also remember that day.
I was quite young - have a brother 3 years younger.
Our dad had us all get in the car, and we drove into the main street of Huntington, Long Island, New York.
Plenty of cars, all horns honking endlessly.
One celebrant hopped on the running board (!) of our Hudson - on my side of the car - rocked the car, scaring me to bits!
Can’t recall how that ended, or returning to our home . . .
Well, I knew there would be no more sirens, and no more blackouts of the windows of our house.