Remembering Memorial Day, V-E Day

The month of May is one filled with special days for all to celebrate. Mother’s Day first, and later, at the end of the month, comes Memorial Day.

And there is another day that has special meaning this year. For it was on May 8, 1945, that the German army surrendered to the allied forces commanded by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. It became known as Victory in Europe Day. That was 70 years ago, and many are celebrating the anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.

Out of curiosity, I dug out a book of headline pages from the Los Angeles Times I recently acquired during one of my thrift store hops. Here were the headlines of that day, which were in all capitals, 2-inch block letters; “EXTRA!” blazed across the top of page and just below — “V-E DAY!”

Then, in smaller but still large bold black letters — “Nazis Surrender Unconditionally to Allied Powers.” An illustration depicting a hand bursting up from a globe, projecting the V for victory hand sign with a crumpled and tattered Nazi flag in its grip filled the center. This was followed by stories of the event as it happened plastered all over the front page. This piece of history fascinates me, coming from the past via a newspaper of the era.

There was also a headline sharing that page on a sobering note. It came from a front-page editorial — “War is just half over!” Which was all too true, since we were still fighting the empire of Japan in a deadly island-hopping dance with a tenacious enemy that would end in August of 1945.

That was after two Japanese cities were reduced to radioactive rubble. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the only cities in the history of the world to have ever been bombed by atomic weapons. Let us hope they remain the only ones for the rest of time.

So many lives lost, so many wounded returned home. So many sacrifices made by both GI and civilian to join in the fight against tyranny, oppression and brutal mass murder inflicted on innocent lives on industrial scale unheard of in history. Everyone had a part to fill, from the soldier, marine, airman or sailor taking on the enemy head on, to the home-front family, scrimping and saving rubber, tin foil, cooking grease, aluminum cans and even dryer lint for the war effort.

All were critical components used in the manufacture of weapons, medical supplies and munitions from factories that gave up their regular products for the development of weapon systems supplied to armed forces. Rallies for war bonds to help fund the war efforts were going on all over. Messages to support the bonds were in all the media of the time. Such efforts and support have never been repeated since.

It is no wonder or surprise that those who lived this out are now called the greatest generation. Without all that they did to win the war, we would not be here today as a free people.

Already many are honoring all they did for us. From the honor flights filled with our veterans flying out to Washington, D.C., to an airborne display of World War II era fighter planes and bombers over the same city for V.E. Day earlier this month.

Think of it, 70 years ago a war raged that killed millions before it ended. Last estimates suggest a grand total of more than 75 million people died in World War II, which was spawned by the mad dreams of empire and conquest in some truly evil men in 1939.

During those savage years, the war was nearly won by those evil forces. But for the strength and the endurance of free nations across the globe, that evil was smashed to oblivion in 1945. It changed our world forever, giving violent birth to a new age — an atomic one.

Freedom is not free, and those who were there during World War II knew this all to well. We must never forget the lessons they taught us. We must, by all means, give profound thanks to all of those who served.