The Nazis couldn鈥檛 stop them back then, and so the cold air and biting, constant wind blowing across the National Mall wasn鈥檛 going to stop them Tuesday.
A group of World War II veterans were among those on hand at the World War II Memorial to lay a wreath in commemoration of Veterans Day.
Standing up at 100 years old was Col. Frank Cohn, who was born in Germany and fled the Nazis as a teenager. Years later, he returned to fight them in World War II as a member of the U.S. Army.
鈥淚t’s a remembrance of all the people who didn’t get through the war, the ones who were killed,鈥� Cohn said. 鈥淲e have to 鈥� memorialize them, because they did everything to even give their lives to the freedom that we wanted, and this is what’s important. We got the freedom, and we should keep it, and everybody got to help keeping it too.鈥�
He said those who weren鈥檛 veterans, but were taking the time to honor one, are living up to the spirit of the day.
鈥淚 think it’s wonderful that they do this, not because of us, but because of the way we have our country,鈥� Cohn said. 鈥淚t’s ours, and we’re not gonna let it go.鈥�
Fighting for the spirit of America was also a theme touched on by Patrick McCourt, a living history volunteer for the National Park Service.
鈥淢emorial Day, we’re honoring the dead. But these guys, they served, and they’re not dead,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey came back. And, they’re the ones that can tell us the stories and give us a sense of what they did and what those deceased on Memorial Day, who we honor, also did.鈥�
He said the importance of those stories carry on today.
鈥淚t’s very important that we know about what happened in our history,鈥� McCourt said. 鈥淚 think we would not be in this situation if everyone in the United States knew the history and lived by the history.鈥�
It鈥檚 estimated there are less than 50,000 living veterans of World War II. Those who are alive are closing in on 100 years old, if they haven鈥檛 hit that mark yet, the way Cohn and other veterans of that war who were at the memorial have.
鈥淲hen the world was in peril, you came home and built a better nation,鈥� said Jane Droppa, chair of the Friends of the World War II Memorial. 鈥淵our legacy continues to inspire us to be worthy of the freedom you defended.鈥�
Alex Kershaw, the resident historian for the Friends of the World War II Memorial, told those who gathered about how important it is to celebrate soldiers 鈥渨ho served a cause greater than themselves鈥� on battlefields in Europe and the Pacific.
鈥淓ighty years after the most impactful war ever fought came to an end, we thank them and veterans of all wars for serving this great nation, for protecting us and our freedoms,鈥� Kershaw said.
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