May 8

Time magazine famously declared May 8, 1945, as the day the guns fell silent.

My father would have been 21 years old that day.

He spent that day in the back of an Army truck, making his way from Austria to Germany.

I don't know what he was thinking or feeling that day.

He never talked about the war.

I can only imagine the relief and joy he must have felt.

The war in Europe was finally over.

He had survived.

He was going home.

May 8, 1945, was a day of great joy and celebration.

It was also a day of great sadness.

Millions of people had been killed in the war.

My father was one of the lucky ones.

He came home.

He started a family.

He lived a long and happy life.

I am grateful for his service.

I am grateful for his life.

May 8 is a day to remember the sacrifices of those who fought in World War II.

It is also a day to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

Let us never forget the lessons of that war.

Let us always strive to live in peace.