May 8th, 1945 was a lifetime ago and sometimes seems like a different world entirely. Victory in Europe, or V-E day was 72 years ago today. This was the day peace came to the European theater and rapture to the Allies. The Nazis and the Axis powers had been overthrown and victory was finally won after six gruesome and longsuffering years. War had ransacked Europe, leaving wreck and ruins and the bones of sons and fathers scattered across the continent; but today marks the 72nd anniversary of the day it was all over. Celebrations abounded and families flooded the squares and streets to celebrate. Winston Churchill stood over a crowd of more than a million people gathered at Buckingham Palace. Celebration erupted from Moscow to Los Angeles as flags were waved and anthems were sung. A sun rose over the dark days of the Second World War, a fight which had the price of anywhere from 50 to 80 million lives. Over 3% of the whole world’s population was killed.

But it was a lifetime ago. What does it matter to us now?
Europe in 1914 was called a tinderbox just waiting for the smallest spark to ignite the whole thing. Today, many of us fear that our world is the same. Americans have been wringing their hands and nervously joking that World War III is on the up and coming. For Whitney Young students still only in their second decade of life, their morale has never been lower. In this age and on this day the greatest thing V-E day can be is a reminder, a reminder that the world has been at war before. It’s a very bitter place to take solace in, but in a dark way we can find peace in knowing that no matter how much we suffer, we are not destroyed. The days of World War II were dark days for America and her allies. In the end, however, they were still able to say: “V-E day- It’s all over. Our boys are coming home.”