Fall 2015 | Issue 13 |
The American Veterans Center www . americanveteranscenter . org |
World War II Veterans Committee www . wwiivets . com |
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National Vietnam Veterans Committee www . vietnamvetscommittee . org |
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In This Issue ...
5NEWS from the american veter ans center & world war II committee Your update on the many programs , projects and events currently underway with the AVC & WWIIVC , and information on how you can get involved .9THE “ KISSING SAILOR ” REMEMBERS From George Mendonsa For decades , one of the great questions surrounding the end of World War II was “ Who were the sailor and nurse in the famous ‘ VJ Day in Times Square ’ kiss photo ?” That question was answered without a doubt by the 2012 investigative book , The Kissing Sailor . In this issue the sailor - George Mendonsa - recalls his story .
’ S MOST FAMOUS KISS
15HISTORY VJ Day in Times Square
Nurse and Saiilor Share Their Story
Following the publication of The Kissing Sailor , George Mendonsa and the nurse - Greta Friedman - joined the AVC ’ s weekly radio series , Veterans Chronicles , to share memories of their momentary chance encounter 70 years ago .
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19A FRONT SEAT TO HISTORY
WWII Reflections from General Patton ’ s Personal Driver
from Francis “ Jeep ” Sanza
From Britain through the end of the war , Francis Sanza served as Patton ’ s personal driver as the famed general led his Third Army across Western Europe . Here , “ Jeep ” Sanza remembers the colorful general .
SKIES OF PACIFIC
23THE Witnessing Triumph and Devistation in the War with Japan
From Marty Jackson
Pilot Marty Jackson flew 72 missions in the skies of the Pacific theater of WWII . Of all , two stand out - flying over the Japanese city of Nagasaki the day before and the day after the deployment of the atomic bomb .
WE FOUGHT
The Liberation of
31WHY Dachau , 70 Years Later
From Alan W . Lukens
During World War II , Alan W . Lukens was a young soldier with the 20th Armored Division . In a later life , he became U . S . Ambassador to the Congo . On April 29 , 1945 , however , he and his comrades witnessed first-hand the ultimate horrors of the war , when they liberated Dachau concentration camp .
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VICTORY ! |
The summer of 1945 brought two days of great elation - VE Day and VJ Day . Spontaneous celebrations broke out around the globe , such as the one above among American GIs in Paris .
Yet , the joy of victory was tempered by the cold realization that hundreds of thousands of Americans - and millions worldwide - had died during years of war . And , in the summer and fall of 1945 , the world would come to know the true extent of the atrocities perpetrated by the Axis powers in both theaters of war .
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