![]() ![]() Bush – all did some of their training in the state. The Navy had a huge presence in Rhode Island during World War II, and three future presidents – John F. “During World War II, Rhode Island was an armed camp,” Christian McBurney and Brian Wallin argue in a recent book about the state during the war. Patrick Conley, the state’s historian laureate. “From Westerly to Woonsocket and everywhere in between, Rhode Island was focused on winning what has become known as, in Studs Terkel’s famous words, ‘The Good War.’”Ībout 92,000 Rhode Island residents served in the war – more than one in ten – and almost 2,200 of them were killed, according to Dr. “If ever a state was at the center of the American war effort in World War II, it was Rhode Island,” Scott MacKay wrote in a 2010 RIPR essay. The need may have seemed obvious considering how much the war had affected the state. (It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the legislature changed the law to set the holiday on the second Monday in August.) Richard Windsor, a long-serving East Providence Republican, to designate Aug. Rhode Island established Victory Day in March 1948, almost three years after the end of World War II, when the General Assembly passed a bill sponsored by Rep. 14 deserves special attention for its interplay of state, local, national, and even international politics.” Senate report on the topic.)Īs far back as the 1950s, The New York Times declared that the holiday – which the paper, like many news outlets then and now, referred to as “V-J Day” – was “always a big legal holiday in Rhode Island.” In the “Encyclopedia of American Holidays and National Days,” author Len Travers remarks, “The tenacity of Rhode Island in celebrating Aug. (Some websites claim Victory Day used to be a federal holiday, too, but that appears to be a myth – there is no evidence for it in an authoritative 1999 U.S. Rhode Island has apparently been on its own since the late 1960s or ’70s, when Arkansas dropped its version of Victory Day – known there as “World War II Memorial Day” – and reportedly gave state workers their birthdays of as a consolation. 14, when Japan’s surrender was announced here, the holiday is now observed on the second Monday in August.Īnd yes, despite what many residents think, the legal name of Rhode Island’s holiday is and always has been Victory Day – not “V-J Day” (short for “Victory Over Japan”). While the actual event it commemorates happened on Aug. Monday is Rhode Island’s 70th annual Victory Day, continuing the state’s custom of being the only one that observes a legal holiday to mark the end of World War II. (WPRI) – Like Del’s Lemonade or Saugy dogs, Victory Day is a unique summertime tradition in the Ocean State. I am more than happy to meet in the upcoming weeks or talk via phone or email.PROVIDENCE, R.I. I know I am coming to you late in the legislative process but I hope this letter and project encourage you to start thinking about next year and August 10, 2020. Additionally, I’m making a small postcard explaining the project, and sending this letter to you and other elected officials. The current political climate has intensified feelings of xenophobia this day contributes to negative feelings of difference for myself and others.Īs part of my efforts to encourage Rhode Islanders to reconsider Victory Day, I’m creating a series of posters reimagining the holiday name. Victory Day has always reminded me of this time in her life. My grandmother was relocated to an internment camp during World War II. I feel, however, that this day has become more a day to visit the beach than to remember our veterans. Rhode Island played a critical role in the war, and the veterans who fought in the war deserve to be honored. I do not intend this letter to discredit the sacrifice of those who served in World War II. What is the victory over? What are we commemorating? It is impossible to explain ‘Victory Day’ as a holiday. Rhode Island has technically never celebrated ‘Victory over Japan Day’ (recognized as September 2) we instead celebrate ‘Victory Day’ (as the second Monday of August since 1966 though initially recognized on August 14). ![]() Though I have lived here for thirteen years, I still have difficulty explaining why we take ‘Victory Day’ as a state holiday. I have lived and worked in Rhode Island since 2006. “I am writing to you at the height of our Rhode Island summer-hopefully you can read this while at the beach! ![]()
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