Celebrating V-E Day

   That's one of the most iconic pictures ever taken, and certainly one of the best of World War II. It was taken on May 8 1945, after news broke that Nazi Germany had unconditionally surrendered all armed forces, ending nearly 6 years of war in Europe.
   It's been called the bloodiest war in history, with more than 70 million military and civilian deaths. That also includes the Holocaust, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Bombings that hastened the end of the war in the Pacific, and brought all hostilities to a close.
   We in Canada set aside November 11th to remember our war dead from all conflicts. But today we should also give pause to thank those who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice in a war that ended, at least in Europe, 75 years ago today.
   In London, England, two teenage girls, one of who was a mechanic and driver in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, quietly slipped into the crowd outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate. The future Queen Elizabeth was the subaltern, and her younger sister Margaret was the other.
   Similar celebrations were held in capitals and major cities among the Allied countries, including Ottawa and New York.
   And about that picture, which I believe was taken in the Big Apple: The sailor and nurse apparently did not know each other. It was one of millions of spontaneous moments celebrating the end of that part of the way.

TTFN