74 years ago, on September 2, 1945, representatives from Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on board USS Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance to the Potsdam Declaration and surrendered on August 15, 1945, effectively marking the end of World War II. However, the official surrender ceremony did not occur until over two weeks later, and thus President Truman marked 2nd September as the official V-J Day. It is estimated that anywhere from 60 to 80 million people died during World War II, on all sides of the conflict. V-J Day should be seen as not only the celebration of the defeat of the tyrannical Japanese government of the time, but also the remembrance of those who lost their lives.