World War II Veterans To Be Honored In Day Of Remembrance
WARSAW — To commemorate the 74th anniversary ending World War II on Sept. 2, 1945, a special event will be held Sept. 18, 2019, to honor Kosciusko County WWII Veterans.
Liberty Sewing Circle and Kosciusko Community Senior Services will present Threads of Valor quilts to eight nominated Kosciusko County WWII veterans at the Pete Thorn gymnasium at 800 N. Park Ave., Warsaw.
The doors open at 10 a.m. Program will include music, and the American Legion Post #49 will post the colors. Guest speakers will precede the Threads of Valor quilt presentation. Liberty Sewing Circle wishes to extend a special invitation to any WWII veterans to attend the program. The event is open to the public.
Please RSVP the event coordinator, Kathy Snell, at (574) 268-8827 or the Kosciusko Community Senior Center at (574) 267-2012 by Sept. 5, 2019, to reserve seating.
WWII began on Sept. 1, 1939. On Aug. 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. On Sept. 2, 1945, the signing of the Instrument of Surrender between Japan and the United States took place, which signified the end of WWII. The Instrument of Surrender was signed on the deck aboard the USS Missouri in the Tokyo Bay, Japan. It was signed by Army General Douglas MacArthur for the United Nations and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States. Although this is the date known to many as the end of WWII, the treaty of San Francisco, officially ending WWII, was signed on April 20, 1952, which was the peace treaty with Japan.
The number of U.S. military that lost their lives in WWII was 416,800. The number from Indiana was 8131 lives lost. That number includes 46 lives lost from Kosciusko County.
In 2016, there were approximately 620,000 WWII members living in the United States. In 2018, that number was about 496,777. In 2018, there were 8891 living WWII Veterans in Indiana. In 2014, there were approximately 85 WWII Veterans living in Kosciusko County.
As with any military action there is loss of life that happens. This also includes the loss of life as the soldiers knew it upon their return home. Please take the time to thank a veteran for their sacrifice to our country. You just never know, but that might be the only thanks they ever receive.