Mighty Eighth Museum marks 80th VE Day with tribute events
The museum shared with WSAV an original 48-star American flag, just like the ones our airmen fought under during World War II. Thursday, as the museum marks 80 years since Victory in Europe Day, this flag is a symbol and powerful reminder of both the triumph and the tremendous sacrifice.
Today, the museum is inviting the public to commemorate VE Day with their special 'salute to victory' event. One of the highlights is a talk by the son of a World War II airman from the 100th bomb group, who will share his father's story of surviving as a prisoner of war.
Visitors can also learn about two missions where American bombers dropped food, not bombs, over starving parts of the Netherlands in May 1945. With fewer than 1% of U.S. World War II veterans still living, events like these are crucial in preserving their legacy.
'It is important to remember. Even though we have so few WWII veterans left – their families, their relatives, their descendants…. they gave sacrifices of their time, their efforts, and sometimes their lives. So, it is always important to honor and remember them,' said Dawn Brosnan, the Director of Communications and Marketing for the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth.
Admission today is just $6 for adults and children, and as always, veterans enter free.Living historians will also be on-site, including a portrayal of a wasp – a female pilot who served during the war.
For many at the Mighty Eighth today, this isn't just about history – it's about honoring real people, families, and sharing stories that shaped the world we live in. At the museum… those stories take flight once again.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
16 hours ago
- Associated Press
Today in History: August 18, 19th Amendment gives women the vote
Today in history: On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing American women's right to vote, was ratified as Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. Also on this date: In 1590, John White, the governor of the Roanoke Island colony (in present-day North Carolina), returned to Roanoke after nearly three years abroad only to find the settlement deserted; the fate of the 'Lost Colony' remains a mystery. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping the United States out of World War I. In 1958 , Vladimir Nabokov's novel 'Lolita' was published in the United States. In 1963, James Meredith became the first Black student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. In 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York, wound to a close after three nights with a mid-morning set by Jimi Hendrix. In 1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast, leaving 21 dead and causing more than a billion dollars' worth of damage. In 2004, in Athens, Paul Hamm won the men's gymnastics all-around Olympic gold medal by the closest margin ever in the event; controversy followed after it was discovered a scoring error cost Yang Tae-young of South Korea the title. In 2005, a judge in Wichita, Kansas, sentenced BTK serial killer Dennis Rader to 10 consecutive life terms, the maximum the law would allow. In 2014, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis convulsed by protests over the fatal shooting of a Black 18-year-old, Michael Brown.
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Newsweek
China's Military Prepares to Show Off Huge Submarine Drones
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. China is set to debut at least two of its unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) during a military parade as the country's sea power gap with the United States continues to narrow. Why It Matters The preparations come as the People's Liberation Army Navy, the world's largest by hull count, steps up efforts to challenge U.S. primacy in the Western Pacific. Washington and its allies fear China will increasingly threaten freedom of navigation and raise the risk of an attack against Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and the Chinese Defense Ministry via email for comment. A boy sits in front of a mural showing a People's Liberation Army Navy submarine in Qingdao, China, on April 20, 2024. A boy sits in front of a mural showing a People's Liberation Army Navy submarine in Qingdao, China, on April 20, To Know Naval News, a specialty outlet focused on naval technology, has identified at least two types of extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) in photos from rehearsals for the September 3 military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, which marks the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender. Roughly 60 feet in length, the vessels barely fit onto the tank transporters seen carrying them. Their torpedo-shaped hull and pump-jet propulsion systems suggest stealth was at the core of the design. One of the subs, dubbed the AJX002 based on the markings observed on its hull in previous imagery. The other type has only been photographed while covered. Of the six seen during the rehearsal, four appeared to be AJX002 units and two a slightly larger type. Four lifting lugs along the AJX002's hull suggest it can be launched by crane, while a close-set pair of lugs midship indicates the hull can be separated for transport. Naval News added that China now runs the world's largest XLUUV program, with at least five types already "in the water" over the past several years, and the parade will be the first public showcase of these systems. Chinese President Xi Jinping has set the goal of completing China's military modernization by 2035. Undated image showing a submarine drone being transported in Beijing amid preparations for the September 3, 2025, military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia. Undated image showing a submarine drone being transported in Beijing amid preparations for the September 3, 2025, military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia. Weibo What People Are Saying Speaking with reporters in June, Wu Zeke, a senior officer on the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission, hailed the PLA for overcoming technological hurdles and fielding cutting-edge platforms from aircraft carriers to strategic missiles and drones. "This has given our military greater confidence in its ability to fight and win," he said, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. What Happens Next This progress has been particularly visible at sea. The People's Liberation Army Navy has poured resources into its submarine fleet, which the Pentagon expects to reach 65 boats this year—just shy of 71 the U.S. Navy subs operating worldwide—though China still trails its U.S. rival in terms of naval technology. The fleet includes about 12 nuclear-powered submarines, including six ballistic-missile boats, with the remainder being diesel-electric. Chinese military commentators have raised concerns over the PLAN's vulnerabilities to the U.S. undersea surveillance architecture in the western Pacific, exposing PLAN submarines to detection and targeting in a crisis, Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor at the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute, wrote in an analysis of a November 2023 article in the Chinese journal Military Art.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Rare wartime medal earned by Pembrokeshire woman returns to county
A remarkable and previously-untold story has been revealed of a Pembrokeshire-born woman who helped escaping British military personnel in Europe during World War Two. The tale of brave Beryl Schaerer Morse, who assisted shot-down airmen to escape over the frontier of neutral Switzerland came to light when her rare wartime medal was donated to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre. Mrs Schaerer Morse, who was born in Pembroke Dock in 1887, was one of only 2,500 recipients of The King's Medal which was awarded in the early post-war years. King's Medal recipient Winifred Beryl Gwladys Schaerer Morse. (Image: Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre) She was the daughter of Mr and Mrs Thomas Harrison Morse who lived in Pembroke Dock and later in Tenby. When later living in London, she met a Swiss banker, and they were married in 1913. She lived the rest of her life in Switzerland. During the war years she was, according to newspaper reports, head of an organisation which assisted shot down British and Allied airmen to escape over the Swiss frontier. Mrs Schaerer Morse's granddaughter, Therese Burckhardt, recently visited Pembroke Dock and was directed to the Heritage Centre. She was delighted to find that the archive team was very keen to display the medal and tell her grandmother's story. Mrs Schaerer Morse's granddaughter, Therese Burckhardt, is pictured at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre with family friend Penny Tighe of Pembroke and Heritage Centre trustee Peter Mitchell. (Image: Martin Cavaney Photography)'It was a joy to have such a welcome and to know that the centre would take the medal into its collection. It is so important to me that the medal returns 'home',' Therese said Mrs Schaerer Morse's King's Medal - one of only 2,500 awarded. (Image: Martin Cavaney Photography) 'My grandmother was very proud of her Welsh roots. Her father built a bungalow in Broadwell Hayes, Tenby, where my grandmother lived until she left for Switzerland, and family members spent many summer holidays there. 'I have fond memories of visits to Tenby, playing on the sands with my brother Roland.' Therese added: 'Grandmother introduced us to Wales, and she expressly wished to be buried at Llanion Cemetery, Pembroke Dock, near her father. I well remember attending her funeral at Llanion in 1967.' The King's Medal, instigated in 1945 by King George VI, was awarded to civilian foreign nationals who had given meritorious service to further the interests of the British Commonwealth or the Allied cause. Uniquely, Mrs Schaerer Morse had dual British/Swiss nationality. Research is continuing both in Switzerland and the UK to discover more of this unique wartime story, which Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre will feature in an exhibition in 2026.
