May 8, 1945 – May 8, 2025

Today is V-E Day, Victory-Europe. It has been 80 years since “the Greatest Generation” achieved that victory. How many will remember?

The term “the Greatest Generation” was originally coined by US Army General James Van Fleet in 1953. Later, Tom Brokaw, an American Journalist, popularized it, in his 1998 book.

I will be 87 at the end of the month and I remember. I also remember the “ration books” and the blackouts in this country at night.

We owe a debt of gratitude to all who participated in that horrible war, both home and abroad.

I have been doing research on my teachers and mentors of that time. Surprising, I found that many of my high school teachers participated in that war, but as was normal, “never mentioned it at all.” One of my high school football coaches was a bombardier and flew over 50 missions. My math teacher was in the Army and served. Others served in the Marines and Navy.

In 1956, I had an economics professor in college, who always wore an “Eisenhower Jacket” to class. He was on the staff that created the “Marshall Plan.”

My wife’s father served in the Army, and his unit started in Africa, then to Italy, and then on to Germany. We never knew that until after his death, when we were going through all of his papers, and found his medals and other documents, detailing the campaigns he was in. He was from Iowa, and after we were married, he said, “son, I did enough traveling during the war, I am not going anywhere.”

My father was born in 1901 and was considered “too old.” However, I had many uncles who did serve during that time.

My first job, after public accounting, was with Fairchild Aircraft. Ed Uhl, then the President & CEO, was the co-inventor of the bazooka, an anti-tank rocket propelled missile that was first used in World War ll.

Many of my mentors in business were veterans, but never mentioned or talked about their experiences. This was normal. They had seen horrible things, and wanted to just get back to a normal life.

Again, this is a day of remembrance, and one that we should never forget.

Thank you to all those who have served! May we never forget!

Jess Sweely

Madison, Va.