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That was the all-encompassing message conveyed to an intimate crowd that gathered at the MacCabe Park cenotaph to mark the 72nd anniversary of Victory in the Pacific Day on Tuesday.
August 15, 1945 was the day Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced the end of hostilities in World War II.
Major General Brian (Hori) Howard used his address to remind the gathering that Hirohito “made no mention of the word ‘surrender’ on that day”.
The formal surrender followed – aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
“Thus ended a war in which Australia committed one million men and women, lost 40,000 killed and over 66,000 wounded,” Major General Howard said.
“The number who returned broken, physically or mentally, will never be known, but it was high and we should never forget them.”
The end of World War II also signalled the creation of a regular army, for the first time in Australian history, he said.
“As we sit here today, safe and comfortable in the best country in the world, there are 3000 young men and women from our defence force who are deployed, many in harm’s way, protecting our borders and helping others to enjoy the peace and prosperity which we take for granted,” he said.