Key West Lou / VE DAY…..I REMEMBER IT WELL

VE Day. Victory in Europe. Tuesday, May 8, 1945. Germany surrendered.

I remember it well. I was only 9 years old. I recall it vividly because of my Father. He took me everywhere with him that day.

We woke in the morning to shouting from porches and the streets. Pans banging. People were excited beyond words that the European war had ended. Everyone had a small flag hanging in their window signifying by a blue star that a family member was in service or a gold star that the family member had been killed in battle.

We lived in Utica, N.Y. The whole city closed down. No businesses opened, schools closed, public offices closed also.

My Dad hurried me to dress. We went out the door and did not return till later that evening. We went everywhere. I could sense he wanted me to remember the day.

We spent most of the day at what is known as the Busy Corners in Utica. The four corners where the busiest two downtown main streets intersected. We were right in the middle. Little room to move. People shouting and screaming all day, dancing, hugging and kissing. A woman older than me, I suspect 20ish, grabbed me at one point and began swirling me around in some sort of a dance. Dancing I knew nothing about. We apparently did pretty good. A newspaper reporter was nearby and took our picture. Arms and legs flying in every which way. It appeared front page in the newspaper the next day.

By the end of the day, I understood what a big deal Germany’s surrender was.

Today is August 8. Japan surrendered 3 months later on August 8, 1945. It was VE Day all over again. My Father taking me out for the day, people yelling and screaming, dancing, etc. The only difference was no one danced with me nor took my picture.

I have always thanked my Father for those 2 days. They were important. He wanted me to know and understand as best possible their significance.

This morning’s Citizen notes how Key West reacted to Japan’s surrender. Throngs paraded down Duval Street. The Navy Yard announced the news with 10 long blasts on the siren. All ships in the harbor sounded their whistles.

All kinds of pertinent and non pertinent information follows.

Lines in the road on a highway. Used then and now to create lines. Which defined lanes. The whole idea was inspired by a milk wagon.

In 1911, Edward Hines came up with the idea when he saw the dotted droppings from a leaking milk wagon. It has been considered “the most important single traffic safety device.”

A study was done in England. The study involved sneezing while driving 60 mph. Determined such means your eyes are closed for 50 feet. The study further determined that drivers who temporarily lose vision in such fashion are the cause of 2,500 accidents every week in England. Hard to believe.

A way to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame even if a person is not a baseball player. A bar owner visiting the Hall of Fame slipped a photo of his Dad wearing a baseball uniform into one of the glass cases. No one noticed for six years at which time it was removed.

Death by Mount Vesuvius. The volcano erupted in 79 A.D. Pompei the most famous point of destruction. Until recently.

Herculaneum was only a few miles from the volcano. In the direct path of its hot lava and gas. Vesuvius perfectly preserved the skeletons of its victims thereby allowing scientists to study their bodies in detail. The heat caused people’s blood to boil, flesh to melt, and skulls to explode. Death occurred within seconds.

There are almost as many cars in the U.S. as there are people. The average for all 50 states is 910 cars per 1,000 citizens. The number for European Union countries is much lower. Five hundred eighty seven cars per one thousand citizens.

In the U.S., the number of vacant houses are 6 times greater that the number of homeless people.

Women still have a way to go in the U.S. The U.S. is one of only four countries in the world that does not require paid maternity leave.

Additionally, the U.S. ranks last among developed countries when it comes to paid parental leave. While many U.S. companies offer paid parental leave, the U.S. is the only advanced country without a federal law mandating it.

In a few days, Ukraine has seized a small but significant portion of Russia. Roughly 386 square miles. The key point to understand and appreciate is that such is almost as much as Russa captured of Ukraine in all of last year.

Trump is making fantasy based threats. His social media meltdown flirts with delusion.

For example, Trump claims “there was nobody there” at the Harris/Walz rally last week at the Detroit Airport. Everyone estimated the crowd to have been around 15,000.

And so forth.

Trump is falling apart. Piece by piece.

On this day in 1969, New York City held a ticker tape parade for the first men to make the moon trip. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins. Aldrin still survives.

One of Key West’s greatest housing complexes had its ground breaking this day in 1988. Truman Annex. Pritam Singh broke ground at a formal ceremony for such.

The complex has a quality and beauty which has survived.

Busy day ahead. Physiotherapy at 10. Then manicure, Home Depot and the bank. Followed with a 2:30 working session with Sloan.

Enjoy your day!

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