Victory Day: Rhode Island Still Celebrates World War II End

Rhode Island celebrates Victory Day today, August 10, 2009. Rhode Island is the only state that still celebrates Victory Day (or V-day as it is known for short) which commemorates the anniversary of the end of World War II. Victory Day takes place on the second Monday of August each year and coincides with the Japanese surrender in World War II.

All other US states aside from Rhode Island have stopped commemorating Victory Day, as V-day coincided with the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. However, Rhode Island continues to celebrate Victory Day because it lost a high number of soldiers on the Pacific front during World War II.

Critics charge that Victory Day is politically incorrect and no longer makes sense, as Japan is an American Ally. They also say Victory Day is discriminatory because it commemorates the Japanese surrender but not the German one.