Thursday, August 14 will mark 80 years since former President Harry Truman declared an finish to World Battle II in 1945. On Sunday, dozens of veterans got here to the San Diego Air & Area Museum to mark the event at an occasion organized by Honor Flight San Diego.
“I used to be 17 once I enlisted on Saint Patrick’s Day of ’45, the struggle was over in August and I used to be assigned to a ship that was decommissioned,” stated Arthur Louis Dioli, a World Battle Two Navy Veteran.
At 98-years-old, Dioli remembers precisely the place he was the day WWII ended. Within the months main as much as that, he was a Seaman First Class assigned to USS Wilmette as a part of an eight-man crew.
“We had three duties every — each third day, 24 hours a day. Two guys would serve 24 hours a day,” stated Dioli.
Amongst his many different accomplishments, Military Sergeant Max Gurney additionally served in World Battle Two.
“Within the Military I was known as Most Journey,” stated Gurney.
Gurney was in Normandy for D-Day in June of 1944, when greater than 150,000 allied troops carried out the most important invasion by sea in historical past.
“I believe the true heroes are those that did not come again,” stated Gurney.
World Battle II might have ended almost eight a long time in the past, however these veterans desires to ensure future generations perceive that the highway they paved the best way for our freedom will final even longer.
The subsequent Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. is scheduled for late September for Vietnam and Korean veterans. The group is run totally by volunteers, and is 100% funded by donations. You possibly can go to the website for extra info.
