Post 1760 Calendar

V-E Day commemorates the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces in 1945, ending World War II in Europe. With their power-mad Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, dead by his own hand, German military leaders signed surrender documents at several locations in Europe on May 7, capitulating to each of their victorious foes. Germany’s partner in fascism, Italy, had switched sides in 1943, though many Italians continued to fight alongside their German comrades in Italy.

V-E Day stands for Victory in Europe Day. In the Soviet Union it was called simply Victory Day and still goes by that name in states of the former USSR. Some early reports in the West also called the day V-Day, but V-E was more accurate, as the war still continued in the Pacific Theater. Today in France the day is called World War II Victory Day.

V-E Day was observed on May 8, 1945 in Great Britain, Western Europe, the United States and Australia, and on May 9 in the Soviet Union and New Zealand.

For more information with Victory in Europe day, you can visit HistoryNet.com.

(May 7th, 2015). V-E Day 1945: The Celebration Heard ’round the World. Retrieved from http://www.historynet.com/v-e-day-1945-the-celebration-heard-round-the-world.htm.

Among the many military holidays celebrated each year is Armed Forces Day. Celebrated the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day falls during Military Appreciation Month and joins Memorial Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) as another May military-themed holiday.

On Aug. 31, 1949, Defense Secretary Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the armed forces under one agency — the Department of Defense.

(2018). Armed Forces Day. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/military-appreciation-month/history-of-armed-forces-day.html.

On 6 June 1944 – ‘D–Day‘ – Allied forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. Codenamed Operation ‘Overlord’, the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy marked the start of a long and costly campaign to liberate north-west Europe from Nazi occupation.

When the American Revolution broke out, the rebellious colonies did not possess an army in the modern sense. Rather, the revolutionaries fielded an amateur force of colonial troops, cobbled together from various New England militia companies. They had no unified chain of command, and although Artemas Ward of Massachusetts exercised authority by informal agreement, officers from other colonies were not obligated to obey his orders. The American volunteers were led, equipped, armed, paid for, and supported by the colonies from which they were raised.

In the spring of 1775, this “army” was about to confront British troops near Boston, Massachusetts. The revolutionaries had to re-organize their forces quickly if they were to stand a chance against Britain’s seasoned professionals. Recognizing the need to enlist the support of all of the American seaboard colonies, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress appealed to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to assume authority for the New England army. Reportedly, at John Adams’ request, Congress voted to “adopt” the Boston troops on June 14, although there is no written record of this decision. Also on this day, Congress resolved to form a committee “to bring in a draft of rules and regulations for the government of the Army,” and voted $2,000,000 to support the forces around Boston, and those at New York City. Moreover, Congress authorized the formation of ten companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which were directed to march to Boston to support the New England militia.

George Washington received his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army the next day, and formally took command at Boston on July 3, 1775.

John R. Maass
Historian
US Army Center of Military History

The official date of the founding of the US Air Force is 18 September 1947. It was a momentous event that over six decades later has demonstrated the achievement of an Air Force second-to-none, yet the Air Force’s history and heritage goes back a lot further.

From the time that the US military purchased its first aircraft in 1909 up to 1947, the US Air Force did not exist as a separate and independent military service organization. It went through a series of designations: Aeronautical Section, Signal Corps (1909); Aviation Section, Signal Corps (1914); United States Army Air Service (1918); United States Army Air Corps (1926), United States Army Air Forces (1941).

WWII illustrated the value of airpower, and the need to change the basic organization of the US Military Forces. The result was the creation of a single Department of Defense with a strong Joint Chiefs of Staff with Army, Navy, and Air Force chiefs. In 1947 President Truman signed the National Security Act which established this new defense organization, and along with it the creation of the US Air Force as an independent service, equal to the US Army and US Navy. The official birthday of the US Air Force is 18 September 1947.

Through the years history has shown the wisdom and foresight of the creation of a separate Air Force. The US Air Force emerged quickly from its cradle and began to create its own history and heritage.

(2018) AIR FORCE BIRTHDAY. Retrieved from https://www.military.com/air-force-birthday

In 1899 13 Spanish-American War veterans gathered in a small tailor shop in Columbus, Ohio, to discuss how they could assist their fellow veterans and the dependents of their fallen comrades. Soon joined by American veterans from the Philippine Insurrection, their selfless desire to care for those who share a common bond forged by war laid the foundation for the multifaceted, powerhouse organization that is known worldwide as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

The men who founded the VFW challenged the status quo, and helped to forever change how our nation cares for her veterans, service members and their families. Virtually every military and veteran quality of life program created in this century and last is due to the tenacity and perseverance of VFW members to ensure that a nation that creates veterans properly takes care of them when they return home.

And though the VFW has evolved over the years, it still operates with the same vision that birthed it back in 1899, which is to care for those who serve our nation in uniform. The VFW is an organization created by veterans, for veterans, and owes all that it has accomplished to its members: the lifeblood of our organization.

Now, as then, the VFW is proud to proclaim “No One Does Does For Veterans.” Happy Birthday, VFW!

(September 25, 2017). Happy Birthday, VFW! Retrieved from https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2017/9/happy-birthday-vfw