V-J Day Coincidence?

Today, September 2, marks the eightieth anniversary of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. On this date in 1945, representatives of the Allied Powers and representatives of the Empire of Japan met aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) to sign the surrender documents.

Aboard the heavy cruiser USS St. Paul (CA-73), which was anchored nearby, was a young sailor named Charles Dietterich. He was a "plank owner," meaning he had been among the initial crew when the ship was launched. His battle station was as a sight setter inside the mount of a 5-inch gun on the starboard side of the vessel.

Dietterich never talked much about his war experiences, his daughter recalled. When he did, it was usually about fun times he had with his best buddy aboard ship, Mike Mastromato. Both he and Mike were from Pennsylvania, so they had much in common.

When he did talk about his war experiences, however, it was about two things. One was the fact that the St. Paul had shelled Honshu, the largest Japanese home island. The other thing he often recalled about the war was his witnessing the surrender ceremony. In recalling that day, he often recited the final words spoken by General Douglas MacArthur: "These proceedings are ended."

Representatives of the Empire of Japan sign surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri.

Charles Dietterich happens to be my father-in-law. During one trip from his home in Florida to visit my wife and me, we were all invited to the home of a fellow church member, Oscar Rule. He, too, was a World War II veteran, but he served in the Army Air Force as a waist gunner on a B-29 Superfortress. In the Pacific. Bombing Japan.

Rule also, like my father-in-law, played a small role in the surrender ceremony. But whereas Dietterich was aboard ship, Rule was high above, flying over in a B-29 as part of the Allied show of air power during the ceremony. The two veterans had a good time comparing war-time experiences.

Charles Dietterich was aboard the USS St. Paul, near USS Missouri, which is shown here; Oscar Rule was aloft in a B-29 Superfortress.

Was it merely a coincidence that they were both there on that historic day? Was it only coincidence that decades later they would meet and share their memories of that historic day?

Read more about Charles Dietterich and his experiences aboard the USS St. Paul at https://loc.gov/item/afc2001001.110280#item-service_history