In 2010, both houses of Congress voted unanimously for a national “Spirit of ’45 Day” to honor the legacy of the men and women of the WWII generation. Spirit of ’45 Day is now being observed each year in hundreds of communities and during Major League Baseball games on the second Sunday in August.
On February 6, 2014 a “Spirit of ’45 Day” event took place in the 30th Street Railroad station in Philadelphia PA. The purpose of the event was to:
- Promote the release of the movie “Monuments Men”
- Honor the 1,307 workers of the Pennsylvania Railroad who were killed during WWII
- Honor VBOB
Four members of VBOB were present, they were:
- Carmen Guarino, 75th ID, 291st IR
- Mike Ciquero, Navy Seabee, Pacific Theatre
- Kevin Diehl, Associate
- Ralph Bozorth, Associate
During the proceedings Kevin took pictures, interviewed the veterans and video-taped the event. People stopped to talk with the veterans, one young mother brought her three young children over to meet the veterans and had their picture taken. At the conclusion of the proceedings the veterans presented a wreath and saluted while a bugler played taps. The VBOB logo was mounted on an 18”x18” poster board and displayed on an easel. The WWII veterans were impressed and grateful.
People from the following organizations were present;
- “Spirit of ’45 Day”
- VBOB
- Bugles Across America
- The Military Order of the Purple Heart
- Dignity Memorial, the largest network of funeral services providers
- Amtrak
The logo and easel were given to Warren Hegg, a driving force behind “Spirit of ’45 Day”, to be used at various events across the country. During March the logo will be in San Antonio, TX for an event.