The
idea for the Veterans Memorial came up after W.W.II. The
American Legion wanted something to honor local veterans .
The City of Arma did the construction. The structure was
built shortly after the war. The City takes
care of all the maintenance as well as adding any new
names. Recently the City installed four new flags along
with the American Flag. The 4 flags represent the Army,
Navy, Air Force and Marines. The Legion paid for the materials
and the City will take care of the flag replacements. The names
on the placque represent local veterans who have served our country in
any war.
Arma’s V-J
Homecoming which began in 1946 celebration started as a way to honor
veterans returning from World War II it has evolved over the last five
decades into a family festival.
VJ Day was August
15, 1945, the day the victory over Japan was celebrated by the Allied
nations. In early August, the United States unleashed
the secret weapon - the atom bomb- and devastated the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rumors of peace began to circulate but
many Americans feared that a final battle with Japan was inevitable.
However, on the
evening of August 14, the rumors were confirmed: Japan’s army agreed to
lay down its arms and throughout the Pacific guns fell silent.
There was a sense of collective relief when the impending invasion of
Japan was unexpectedly cancelled by the advent of the atomic age.
On September 2,
1945, on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, the Japanese finally
signed the official surrender document. Americans commemorated the
official end of World War II with the fist observance of V-J Day -
“Victory Over Japan”.
That Labor Day
weekend marked the end of almost four years of devastation, loss and
sacrifice for the nation. More than 300,000 Americans in the
armed serviced died in Europe and the Pacific arenas.
The very next year
Arma celebrated it’s VJ Day in connection with homecoming activities
and the VJ Homecoming Celebration was born.
It has been said
it is the oldest running VJ Day or WWII celebration in the
country. This tradition has gone
on since 1946. It celebrates the return from the war for
local veterans.
Each year the
celebration is held the second week-end in August.
