Haley Stevens: “this past Sunday, the 8th of May, marked the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe during World War II. I…”

“this past Sunday, the 8th of May, marked the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe during World War II. I have come to the floor today to honor those who served in that war and to mention our colleagues who answered the call of duty then. When I first came to the Senate, I think more than half of the Senate had served in World War II. There are few of us left who served during that war, and in the Senate only five: Senator Akaka, Senator Inouye, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Warner, and myself. That war was an enormous effort that involved our Nation's total manpower. Sixteen million Americans answered the call to serve, and more than 400,000 of them gave what Lincoln once called ``the last full measure of devotion.'' Here at home, Americans of all walks of life supported the war effort. Children collected rubber, tin, and steel. Families rationed food and gasoline. And women, in unprecedented numbers, took their place in industry and produced the tools that enabled us to win the war. They joined fields which had once been closed to them, and they never looked back. When I went into the service, as most of my generation did, I was fortunate to do what I wanted to do, which was to fly. Sixty years ago, for those of us who served, every day was a milestone. Every day marked another step toward victory. Today, we only recognize a handful of those days: Pearl Harbor Day, D-day, V-J Day, and V-E Day--which is what I speak of today.…”