"National Spirit of '45 Day"

Latest update: 11 July 2023 - gmc

Among our newest holidays is "Spirit of '45 Day" upon which the contributions of America's "Greatest Generation" (those who lived, died, and fought during the worldwide conflagration of World War II) are honored and remembered. In 2010, Congress unanimously voted to observe the second Sunday in August as National Spirit of ‘45 Day.  According to Warren Hegg, National Supervisor of "Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive!" grassroots initiative that led to the creation of the national celebration, “1945 was the defining year of the last century, and virtually every city and town in America has a story to tell about what happened in their community on August 14.” It is unclear whether the organization is extant in 2023. Any surviving WW2 veterans would be a nonagenarians, centenarians, or perhaps even one of the very few supercentenarians still alive. There's an updated "List of last surviving World War II Verterans" on Wikipedia. According to the National World War II Museum, South Carolina has approximately 2,100 living veterans from the Second World War. 

What was Beaufort like on V-J Day?  The only newspaper published in  Beaufort County at the time was the weekly Beaufort Gazette which came out on Fridays.  The Surrender of the Japanese Forces on August 14 was the topic of the next Beaufort Gazette issue on Friday, August 17, 1945.  The banner headline proclaimed "PEACE ON EARTH." 

BTW: The Research Room has two scrapbooks about the men and women of Beaufort County who served in the military forces during the conflagration. Make an appointment to review the scrapbooks or any of our other resources related to World War II: bdc@bcgov.net ; 843-255-6468.