Today is the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, the end of World War II in Europe. Three memories come to mind.
Rationing: Even though I was only five when the war ended, I was aware of rationing. I still remember having a good time skipping up and down the concrete stepping stones in our front yard. I knew that some things were hard to buy and felt grateful that our stones hadn’t been affected, so as I skipped I starting singing,
You can’t buy
stepping stones
in wartime.
I was surprised when my mother said that wasn’t true, they weren’t affected by the war. Concrete seemed so important to me that I couldn’t understand why that would be true. We moved from that house when I was about four and half years old, so that must have been 81 years ago, and I still remember it.
War Movies: I remember watching The March of Time newsreels about the war and world events around that time, and also watching a ton of war movies afterwards. For years when I was playing outside and a plane flew overhead I would partially duck and check to make sure no bombs were being dropped.
The Attitude of Europeans: This was in 1960 when I was in Stanford in Germany from January though June and spent another six weeks hitchhiking with a friend before flying back home. A lot of the people we met went out of their way to be hospitable, mainly because of America’s part in the liberation.
That was a long time ago and things have changed, are changing, a lot.
Most of you are a lot younger than I am, but do you have any feelings/memories connected to the war?
May 8, 2025
