PRINTER'S NO. 661
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.86
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY MASTRIANO, BAKER, BROOKS, DUSH, PENNYCUICK,
ROBINSON, ROTHMAN, YAW, CULVER, FONTANA, HUTCHINSON, KANE,
LANGERHOLC, MARTIN, PHILLIPS-HILL, SANTARSIERO, STEFANO,
TARTAGLIONE AND VOGEL, APRIL 21, 2025
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, APRIL 21, 2025
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing May 8, 2025, as the 80th anniversary of "Victory in
Europe Day" or "V-E Day" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, By April 1945, the German Army was shattered; and
WHEREAS, On April 25, 1945, American and Soviet forces met at
the Elbe River, and five days later Adolf Hitler committed
suicide in his Berlin bunker; and
WHEREAS, Hitler's successor, Admiral Karl Doenitz, sent
General Alfred Jodl to the Supreme Headquarters Allied
Expeditionary Forces detachment in Reims, France, to seek terms
for an end to the war; and
WHEREAS, On May 7, 1945, at General Dwight Eisenhower's
headquarters in Reims, a representative of the German High
Command signed the document of surrender, unconditionally
surrendering all air, land and sea forces to the Allies on May
8, ending the war in Europe; and
WHEREAS, At 2:41 a.m. on May 7, 1945, General Jodl signed for
the unconditional surrender of German forces on all fronts,
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WHEREAS, After six years and millions of lives lost, the Nazi
scourge was crushed, war in Europe was finally over and war-
weary soldiers and civilians could join in giving thanks; and
WHEREAS, On May 8, 1945, "Victory in Europe Day" was
proclaimed and observed in Western Europe and Great Britain,
where more than 1 million people gathered in London with the
British Royal Family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill; and
WHEREAS, "Victory in Europe Day" observances were also held
in Canada and the United States, where President Harry Truman
celebrated his 61st birthday and dedicated the Allied victory to
the memory of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died on
April 12; and
WHEREAS, On May 9, 1945, the Soviet Union marked the end of
the war, known there as the Great Patriotic War; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize May 8, 2025, as the 80th
anniversary of "Victory in Europe Day" or "V-E Day" in
Pennsylvania; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate join with a grateful nation in
expressing respect and appreciation to the men and women who
served in the European theater during World War II and remember
and pay tribute to those Americans who made the ultimate
sacrifice, giving their life for their country.
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