Howard, Noah, Walter at ceremony
By Juli Hale
Special to NKyTribune
As generations of people turned their eyes to the past for the 70th anniversary of victory in Europe (V-E Day) last week, four local World War II veterans turned their eyes to the sky.
The four men – Noah Switzer, 89, of Taylor Mill; Howard Requardt, 89, of Edgewood; Walter Kraus, 94, of Ft. Mitchell, and Gerald Bentle, 90, of Milan, Indiana – celebrated the anniversary in Washington D.C. where they participated in an official ceremony and watched as more than 50 vintage planes flew over the National Mall.
Howard shakes hands with children
“The flyover was excellent. It brought back so many memories,” said Kraus who’s 30-year career in the Navy ended in 1969 as a submarine commander.
The rare flyover, the first of its kind since 1972, included 56 planes flying in 15 formations representing the important battles of WWII. The accompanying ceremony commemorated Germany’s unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France ending the war in Europe.
The outpouring of respect and gratitude shown toward the group during their trip surprised Requardt, pleasantly so. At nearly every stop on the trip, the men were greeted with handshakes and hugs from people who simply wanted to thank them for their service. Others showed their appreciation by offering the veterans their first-class seats during the outbound flight.
Howard, Walter, Gerald, Noah at Cemetery
“It’s nice to know that they respect our past,” Requardt said speaking specifically about the many students who approached the men during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. “I hope what they saw (at the Cemetery) rubbed off on their knowledge of history. I hope they gained something from it.”
In addition to attending the official recognition event on the National Mall, and receiving a tour of Arlington National Cemetery, the local veterans dined at the Army-Navy Club and visited other significant sites in our nation’s capital.
The trip was coordinated and paid for by The Urology Group as a gesture of respect and tribute to the many patients who are members of this age group – “The Greatest Generation” – and who served the country during World War II. Dr. Karl Braun, a physician with The Urology Group whose father was a WWII veteran, accompanied the men.
“To say the past 48 hours have been inspiring would be a major understatement. It’s been my pleasure and privilege to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of Victory in Europe Day in Washington, D.C., with these four World War II veterans,” said Braun. “To be surrounded by history and to be able to interact with the people who were an integral part of that history is an amazing experience – certainly one I will never forget. I want to join the nation in saying thank you to them and all of our veterans for their service and committing to maintaining the ideals for which they fought.”
Noah, a stranger who asked for a photo, Walter and Howard.
Of the 16 million U.S. service members from WWII, about 850,000 remain – and only about 300 made it to the V-E Day event in Washington D.C.
“This was the trip of a lifetime,” said Switzer who as a medic in the 5th Marine Division of the U.S. Navy spent 36 days at the Battle of Iwo Jima. “I cherished every minute of it. We had a wonderful time.”
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You may be interested in NKyTribune’s first story about the veterans’ special trip to the celebration.
