Thursday, August 14 will mark 80 years since former President Harry Truman declared an end to World War II in 1945. On Sunday, dozens of veterans came to the San Diego Air & Space Museum to mark the occasion at an event organized by Honor Flight San Diego.
“I was 17 when I enlisted on Saint Patrick’s Day of ’45, the war was over in August and I was assigned to a ship that was decommissioned,” said Arthur Louis Dioli, a World War Two Navy Veteran.
At 98-years-old, Dioli remembers exactly where he was the day WWII ended. In the months leading up to that, he was a Seaman First Class assigned to USS Wilmette as part of an eight-man crew.
“We had three duties each — every third day, 24 hours a day. Two guys would serve 24 hours a day,” said Dioli.
Among his many other accomplishments, Army Sergeant Max Gurney also served in World War Two.
“In the Army I used to be called Maximum Journey,” said Gurney.
Gurney was in Normandy for D-Day in June of 1944, when more than 150,000 allied troops carried out the largest invasion by sea in history.
“I think the real heroes are the ones that didn’t come back,” said Gurney.
World War II may have ended nearly eight decades ago, but these veterans wants to make sure future generations understand that the road they paved the way for our freedom will last even longer.
The next Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. is scheduled for late September for Vietnam and Korean veterans. The organization is run entirely by volunteers, and is 100% funded by donations. You can visit the website for more information.