A Call to Arms
When he learned that more than 1,000 World War II veterans are dying every day, history buff Jason Sharkey realized the memories from that pivotal time in US history would soon be lost forever. Springing into action, he conceived Victory Days, an actual encampment recreating life on army 
airfields in the US, Europe and South Pacific during the war.
Enlisting a core team of volunteers, the concept was tested on a small scale in the fall of 2007. Held in an actual hangar built during the war, a dinner-dance, complete with a big band and performances by a group of impersonators mimicking a singing group popular during the time was held on a Saturday evening that October. The event was a smashing success, resulting in a complete sell out, with guests coming from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. All vowed to return for the full scale roll out, now scheduled for the fall of 2008.
The War Front
On October 3rd, 4th and 5th, the Victory Days venue will be transformed to enable people from everywhere to step back nearly seven decades and experience life during the war years of 1941 – 1945.
But visitors shouldn’t expect just a static display of planes, trucks, jeeps, tanks, motorcycles and automobiles, civilian vehicles, agricultural implements and other equipment in use at that time. All that and much more is in store, starting with 500 military reenactors wearing authentic uniforms and using actual government issued gear and armaments.
These Allied and Axis “troops” will live in Camp Victory Days, chow in an actual “mess” and receive medical care at in a real period field hospital, while they stage mock battles, including a planned paratroop drop, all the while interacting with visitors in character.
Life on the Home Front
Life on the home front will also be recreated with an actual house interior, a fashion show and live radio broadcasts from the early 1940s. “The soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought the war won the actual battles”, Sharkey noted, “but the people at home also played critical roles. They planted victory gardens, held scrap metal drives, rolled bandages, made quilts, bought war bonds and lived with rationing of gasoline, tires and many other items. Most of us today have no idea how much sacrifice occurred beyond the physical absence or fathers, husbands, siblings and family members”.
Three Great Aims
Victory Days organizers have three goals: honor those who served during WW II; preserve their memories and knowledge; and educate today’s children as well as future generations about this piece of our heritage.
That’s why Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed enthusiastically supports the event, is serving as an advisor and has assigned staff members as liaisons to Victory Days in the area of curriculum development for Education Day on Friday, October 3rd.
Victory Days Executive Director Paul King expanded on the educational concept. “Our vision is for a sea of yellow school buses to be in the parking areas on opening day. Professional educators are developing appropriate and age based curriculum that aligns with state standards so students come away with real and lasting lessons learned.”
King also noted, “This year the hangar party will be held on Friday night, with the Stardusters big band and Andrews Sisters impersonators, the Sisters of Swing, both performing again. Then on Saturday night there will be a USO type canteen show in the hangar, again with the band and singers. Additionally, movies from that era will be shown both nights on actual 1940s projectors.”
In closing, he observed, “History books will always have the facts and figures or World War II, but the memories, sacrifices, joys, sorrows, accomplishments, shared commitment and collective effort are what we need to preserve and perpetuate for our children and their children. They need to know what an important part of ‘the greatest generation’ was to making our nation great, what happened and how things occurred so that we can continue to be a leading bastion of freedom in our challenging world”.
