Reception: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT | Event: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CT

This event is free and open to the public. Register today to join us in person or to view the event online (airing in Central Time).

When news of Japan’s unconditional surrender was announced on August 14, 1945, celebrations erupted across the United States and the world. Join The National WWII Museum in marking the 80th anniversary of this historic moment, which signaled the end of World War II.

Amid the fireworks, confetti, and impromptu parades, victory was bittersweet: more than 400,000 American servicemembers—and an estimated 65 million people worldwide—had died in the conflict. The Museum will honor both the joy and solemnity of that day 80 years ago, from the iconic celebrations in Times Square to the quiet remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The commemoration will include a compelling conversation with WWII veterans Emily Drake, Lewis Harned, and Sanford Jones reflecting on the war’s end and enduring impact. Guests will also receive a remembrance poppy—a powerful symbol of gratitude and reflection.

A reception from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. will precede the event and will include hors d’oeuvres, as well as an open bar for beer and wine.

For event questions, contact Maggie Hartley, EdD, Director of Public Engagement, at maggie.hartley@nationalww2museum.org.

About the Veterans

• Emily Drake was born to Polish immigrant parents in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1925. Only 16 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Drake trained as a stenographer and worked for the local War Production Board until she was old enough to enlist in the Women’s Army Corps in 1944. She was assigned to a base in Florida where she worked until she was discharged as a Sergeant in 1946. Fluent in both Polish and English, Drake went on to work for the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and for the US Air Force as a civilian in Germany. She also worked for the Veterans Administration hospital in Pittsburgh and always made time to volunteer at VA medical centers during her travels across the United States.  

• Lewis B. Harned was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1924. Rejected by the US Army in 1942 due to poor eyesight, he served as a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service, attached to the British Eighth Army in North Africa and Italy. After the end of the war, Harned attended college and medical school, earning his MD in 1951 and serving in the US Air Force as a surgeon during the Korean War. Thirty years later, after an extensive career as an orthopedic surgeon, Harned volunteered for the Wisconsin Army National Guard and was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel; by 1990, he was commander of the 13th Evacuation Hospital and deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He retired in 1992 with the rank of Brigadier General. 

• Born in 1925, Sanford L. Jones Sr., PhD, of Richmond, Kentucky, was drafted into the US Army in 1944 and served in the US Army Air Forces as a waist and nose turret gunner on B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in the 740th Bombardment Squadron, 455th Bombardment Group. Between November 1944 and April 1945, Jones flew 35 combat missions over Germany, Italy, Austria, and Yugoslavia targeting enemy infrastructure. After being discharged from service in 1945 with the rank of Staff Sergeant, he used the GI Bill to attend college, eventually earning his doctorate and becoming a professor at Eastern Kentucky University. 

Note: Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) is officially commemorated by the United States on September 2, the day formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Read more here.