May 10, 2016 - The Shelby County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8904 and Auxiliary gathered on the historic downtown square on Monday, May 9th to hold an observance to commemorate the 71st Anniversary of VE Day at the Veterans Memorial.
A Memorial Wreath was placed by WW II Veteran Jim Cox in honor of those who served and those killed in action in the European Theater during World War II. Names of those Shelby County Veterans killed in action were also read.
Each year the World War II Allies remember May 8th, 1945, the date when they accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin so the surrender of Germany was authorized by his replacement, President of Germany Karl Donitz.
In the United Kingdom more than one million people celebrated in the streets and in the United States President Harry Truman who turned 61 that day dedicated the victory to the memory of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Roosevelt had died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a month earlier.
