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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, September 2, 2025, will mark the 80th anniversary of |
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the end of World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe Day |
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on May 8, 1945, war continued to rage in the Pacific Theater; Japan, |
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which had never surrendered to a foreign power, inflicted horrific |
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carnage during ferocious battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa; and |
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WHEREAS, In the summer of 1945, U.S. President |
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Harry S. Truman met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill |
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and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin at the Potsdam Conference; their |
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discussions extended from the occupation of postwar Germany and the |
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future of Eastern Europe to the still-grinding war with Japan; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the fall of Okinawa in June 1945, |
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U.S. forces began to prepare for an invasion of Japan; however, |
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President Truman feared even heavier casualties than the U.S. had |
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suffered at Iwo Jima and Okinawa and decided to use the fearsome |
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weapon developed during a top-secret operation code-named the |
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Manhattan Project; and |
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WHEREAS, The United States dropped the first atomic bomb on |
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Hiroshima on August 5, 1945; it followed with a second over Nagasaki |
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two days later; finally acknowledging that defeat was inevitable, |
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the Japanese government agreed to unconditional surrender; Japan |
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issued a statement declaring its full assent to the terms of the |
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Potsdam Declaration; and |
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WHEREAS, On September 2, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur |
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accepted Japan's formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo |
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Bay, and Victory over Japan Day, popularly known as V-J Day, was |
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officially celebrated across the United States; crowds rejoiced and |
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waved flags from New York City's Times Square to San Francisco and |
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Honolulu, as marching bands, parades, and confetti filled the |
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streets; and |
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WHEREAS, The conclusion of World War II brought peace and the |
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triumph of freedom over tyranny, and the anniversary of V-J Day |
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provides an opportunity to reflect on the patriotism and valor that |
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defined the Greatest Generation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. |