In this week’s address, the President honored the 70th anniversary of V-E Day. On this occasion, we commemorate the Allied victory in Europe during World War II. It is a day to pay tribute to the men and women who decades ago served and sacrificed for the cause of freedom. This was the generation that, by ending the war, literally saved the world, laying a foundation for peace. The President asked that in addition to commemorating this important anniversary, we honor the men and women in uniform who currently serve our country, and recommit ourselves to the values we share with our allies in Europe and beyond: freedom, security, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law around the world.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Hello, everybody. Today marks an historic anniversary—70 years since the Allied victory in Europe during World War II. On V-E Day after the Nazi surrender, people swarmed the streets of London and Paris and Moscow, and the cloud of fear that had hung for so many years finally lifted. Here at home, from small towns to Times Square, crowds gathered in celebration, singing and dancing with joy. There would still be three more months of deadly fighting in the Pacific. But for a few hours, the world rejoiced in the hope of peace.
General Eisenhower announced the news with little fanfare. “The Mission of this Allied Force,” he said, “was fulfilled.” But his simple message belied the extraordinary nature of the Allied victory—and the staggering human loss. For over five years, brutal fighting laid waste to an entire continent. Mothers, fathers, children were murdered in concentration camps. By the time the guns fell silent in Europe, some 40 million people on the continent had lost their lives.
Today, we pay tribute to all who served. They were patriots, like my grandfather who served in Patton’s Army—soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guard, merchant marines—and the women of the WACs and the WAVES and every branch. They risked their lives, and gave their lives so that we, the people the world over, could live free. They were women who stepped up in unprecedented numbers, manning the home front, and—like my grandmother—building bombers on assembly lines.
This was the generation that literally saved the world—that ended the war and laid a foundation for peace.
This was the generation that traded in their uniforms for a college education so they could marry their sweethearts, buy homes, raise children and build the strongest middle class the world has ever known.
This was the generation that included heroes like the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo Code Talkers and the Japanese-Americans of the 442nd Regiment—and who continued the fight for freedom here at home, expanding equality and opportunity and justice for minorities and women.
We will be forever grateful for what these remarkable men and women did, for the selfless grace they showed in one of our darkest hours. But as we mark this 70th anniversary, let’s not simply commemorate history. Let’s rededicate ourselves to the freedoms for which they fought.
Let’s make sure that we keep striving to fulfill our founding ideals—that we’re a country where no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love, if we work hard and take responsibility, every American will have the opportunity to make of our lives what we will.
Let’s make sure that we keep striving to fulfill our founding ideals—that we’re a country where no matter who we are or where we’re from or what we look like or who we love, if we work hard and take responsibility, every American will have the opportunity to make of our lives what we will.
Let’s stand united with our allies, in Europe and beyond, on behalf of our common values—freedom, security, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law around the world—and against bigotry and hatred in all their forms so that we give meaning to that pledge: “Never forget. Never again.”
Statement by Secretary Kerry on the 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day
I join President Obama and the American people in reflecting on the end of World War II in Europe, during today’s 70th anniversary of VE Day.
I had the privilege of laying a wreath at the base of the Arc d’Triomphe this morning in a small gesture to honor the millions of courageous people from all the Allied nations who made victory possible.
We also wanted to remember those lost on all sides, and to mourn the millions of victims of brutal Nazi aggression.
War affects us all. As I commemorated the day here in France with President Hollande, Foreign Minister Fabius, and other leaders, I thought of my father, who volunteered for the American Air Corps and was part of the Greatest Generation.
There is no glory inherent in war, but there is immeasurable honor in the sacrifices made by those who left their homes from the plains of North America to the heartland of the Soviet Republics, from the United Kingdom and France, from Central Europe, Greece and Serbia, and from many other countries, to unite and turn back a tide that seemed unstoppable. Equally strong were those who remained on the homefront, supporting them emotionally and with vital materiel, and providing their own beachhead against doubt.
It is vital, on this day, that we not forget why that war was fought and how it was won.
It was fought because aggression, bigotry, and hate – when left unopposed – grow stronger. It was won because decent people from across the globe came together in a common cause, before it was too late.
Seven decades have passed since the terrible sounds of war ended on the avenues of Berlin, the rubble-torn streets of Prague, the burnt out buildings of Warsaw, and the ruins of Stalingrad. Seven decades have passed since citizens gathered to celebrate a hard won victory in Allied capitals, to mourn their losses, and to begin the process of reconstruction and recovery that ushered in an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity for a war-torn continent.
Out of the war in Europe arose a new commitment to human rights, shared prosperity, and peace. There arose, as well, a shared determination to exercise vigilance against any who would abuse power to destroy others and employ violence for political gain.
Today, as we reflect on the past, we accept our responsibility to maintain that commitment to justice, to uphold the rule of law, and to work as Allies and friends to defend the rights and dignity of every human being. We owe that to those who gave so much for the cause of freedom.
