Trump joins WWII veterans to mark somber 75th V-E Day
WASHINGTON — Seven World War II veterans joined President Donald Trump at a wreath-laying ceremony Friday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe. The veterans had hoped to mark the occasion in Moscow, but that idea was dashed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump arrived at the memorial on a blustery Friday morning in the nation’s capital, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump. They participated in the wreath laying and toured the World War II Memorial, stopping briefly in front of a wall etched with the phrase: “Here we mark the price of freedom.”
Among the veterans joining Trump was Gregory Melikian, 97, of Phoenix, who sent the coded message to the world that the Germans had unconditionally surrendered.
Others in Washington included participants in the D-Day invasion that turned the tide in the war: Steven Melnikoff, 100, of Cockeysville, Maryland; Guy Whidden,
97, of Braddock Heights, Maryland; and Harold Angle, 97, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
Donald Halverson, 97, of Minnesota, fought in some of the war’s fiercest combat in Italy. John Coates, 96, of Maryland, fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Jack Myers, 97, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was part of a unit that liberated the Dachau concentration camp.
Europe marked the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in low-key fashion Friday because of coronavirus lockdown restrictions across the continent.
The big celebrations planned were either canceled or scaled back, and people across Europe were asked to mark the moment in private.
Across the U.K., people got into the spirit of V-E Day, designated this year as a public holiday.
Many dressed up in 1940s attire, while bunting was displayed outside homes, including at 10 Downing Street in London, which houses the prime minister’s office. People were encouraged to go out onto their doorsteps to sing
Vera Lynn’s iconic wartime anthem, “We’ll Meet Again” — which has added resonance now as families and friends are separated by coronavirus lockdowns.
Unlike Britain, Victory Day is an annual public holiday in France, but it was clearly far more somber this year with the country under a strict coronavirus lockdown. There were no flybys, no parades.
Although V-E Day is a different occasion in Germany, it’s also considered a day of liberation.
In a nationally televised address, President FrankWalter Steinmeier underlined Germans’ responsibility to “think, feel and act as Europeans” in this time of crisis and to confront intolerance whenever it emerges.
“We Germans can say today that the day of liberation is a day of gratitude,” Steinmeier said. “Today, we must liberate ourselves — from the temptation of a new nationalism; from fascination with the authoritarian; from distrust, isolation and enmity between nations; from hatred and agitation, from xenophobia and contempt for democracy.”