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, scheduled for the fall of 2008 at Terre Haute, Indiana.
The War Front
On October 3rd, 4th and 5th, the Terre Haute International Airport Hulman Field was transformed to portray life during the war years of 1941 – 1945.
Visitors to Victory Days were able to see the 1940’s in action. In addition to static displays, planes, trucks, jeeps, tanks, civilian vehicles, and farm tractors were in use during the weekend. Many visitors were able to use the people movers, pulled by vintage tractors, and many received rides in Model A’s, courtesy of the Sycamore Model A Club.
Allied and Axis “troops” camped out at Camp Victory Days, took chow in an actual,mess, received medical care at the period field hospital. and staged a ground battle each day, including a paratroop drop. About 250 re-enactors portrayed faithfully life in the military, from revelee in the morning to lights out at night, and everything in between.
Life on the Home Front
Life on the home front was also re-enacted with an actual living room and war bonds courtesy of the Vigo County Historical Museum, live radio broadcasts from the early 1940s, a quilt display and demonstrations, and a working kitchen, courtesy of the Indiana State Fair. “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 other family members”.
Three Great Aims
Victory Days has three goals: to honor those who served during WW II; to preserve their memories and knowledge; and to educate today’s children and future generations about this important piece of our heritage.
Before the event, Victory Days Executive Director Paul King expressed publically his hope that we would see “… a sea of yellow school buses in the parking areas on opening day.” This hope was fulfilled, as more than 2000 students, from kindergarten through seniors in high school, including many home schooled students, attended on Friday, Oct. 3. (Our friends at Walmart sponsored many of those students through an educational donation to Victory Days.)
As King noted, “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 ‘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.”
