ISSUE 13 - FALL 2015
JAMES C . ROBERTS President
TIM HOLBERT Editor & Executive Director
WES SMITH Program Director
SETH NICHOLS Director of Development
MEGAN MAGGI
Content Manager
TED GENEROUS Development Officer
PETER TRAHAN
Website Manager
CHRIS GRAHAM Researcher
ADAM SYLVAIN
Associate Editor
MICHAEL PARADISO Publisher
ROB PERRY Creative Director
American Valor Quarterly
A quarterly publication of the American Veterans Center & World War II Veterans Committee 1100 N . Glebe Rd . Suite 910 Arlington , VA 22201 Telephone : 703-302-1012 Fax : 571-480-4141
American Valor Quarterly is mailed to donors to the American Veterans Center , World War II Veterans Committee , and National Vietnam Veterans Committee who make a contribution of $ 50 or more per-year . Contributions help fund the Center and Committee ’ s various speaker conferences , student programs , the National Memorial Day Parade , documentary and oral history projects , and this publication .
To make a contribution or subscribe , call 571-480-4156 or e-mail info @ americanveteranscenter . org .
Letter from the Editor
Why This Matters
By Tim Holbert
Look at this photo , the same one that graces the cover of this issue .
What do you see ?
A celebration ? An embrace ? One of the most famous pictures of all time ?
If you look deeper , you will see much more . The photo was taken in Times Square , New York City , August 14 , 1945 – moments after news broke that Japan would surrender , bringing an end to World War II .
“ The Sailor ” was a U . S . Navy man , home on leave , following years of service in the Pacific . He ’ d always remembered the kindness and dedication shown by American nurses when caring for his wounded comrades .
“ The Nurse ” was actually a dental hygienist in a local office , and a recent immigrant to America . A native of Austria , the young Jewish girl had lost her parents to the Holocaust . She barely escaped to freedom – and to a country willing to defend it .
Their story is featured in this issue of American Valor Quarterly . As are stories from veterans who helped liberate the Nazi concentration camps , served alongside the legendary General George Patton , and witnessed the devastation – and grim necessity – of the atomic bomb at Nagasaki .
If these stories are new to you , you can be absolutely certain they are new
to today ’ s high school and college students . The stories of these men and women , like so many who have served our nation before , during , and after World War II , are much more than nostalgic memories . They are examples – lessons – on who we are as a people .
The iconic picture of the sailor and nurse embodies four years of sacrifice from millions of Americans to ensure that Nazi and Imperial Japanese tyranny would not come to dominate the world . It also shows the elation of two people whose lives were scarred by war who could now look forward to peace – and rebuilding a better world .
This story , and the stories you are about to read , demonstrate the necessity of preserving these individual experiences that are each part of something much greater : the American character of determination , grit , and self-sacrifice . As much as we enjoy hearing these stories , young Americans need to hear them , so when their time comes to step up – whether it be in military service , in government , or in private business – they have examples from which to follow .
With your continued support , we will continue to preserve , and share , these and many more stories that prove just how exceptional our shared American history truly is . www . AmericanVeteransCenter . org www . wwiivets . com www . vietnamvetscommittee . org www 4 . NationalMemorialDayParade . com
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY
AVQ