Volunteers Boost Victory Day Celebration

Volunteers Boost Victory Day Celebration

By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager

Rosie the Riveter would be proud.

The Military Veterans Services Center hosted a Victory Day Celebration on September 2 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Allies’ victory over Japan in World War II. The event featured live music from De Ja Blu, a local singing group that specializes in songs from the World War II era; an antique car display, and museum pieces from the era. The Center itself was decorated to resemble the North Platte Canteen in order to recreate the vibe of a United Service Organization (USO) show.

Roughly 250 people attended the event. Amongst the attendees were a 103-year-old World War II veteran who parachuted into France on D-Day and a woman who was put into a detainment camp with her family when Dutch Indonesia (Java) was overrun by the Japanese.

“We had quite a good mix of World War II vets,” said Sean McCollum, MVSC Manager.

De Ja Blu was a big hit said JR Richardson, Director of the MVSC. “They depicted the era of the Andrews Sisters. They really put on a good show. They definitely made the guest smile,” Richardson said.

Also turning out in force were volunteers from the University dressed in garb appropriate for the era adding to the atmosphere of the event.

“The biggest thing was our Bellevue University employees that volunteered had a tremendous spirit,” Richardson said. “We had Canteen girls here serving everybody. They dressed the part, but more importantly they truly had the attitude and conviction of people that were serving service members. The GIs, the older folks really enjoyed it.”

Richardson said the event came off without a hitch despite somewhat warmer temperatures.

“Shoutouts for all of those that helped,” Richardson said.

McCollum singled out the local US Army Recruiting Station for paying for B&B Classic Dogs to supply the food for the event and bringing along some volunteers.