纪念欧洲战场胜利75周年,#VEDay75
(英文原稿来自白宫)
七十五年前的今天,残余的纳粹政权向盟军无条件投降,标志着第二次世界大战在欧洲结束。今天,我们庆祝自由之师取得的胜利,他们在艰苦卓绝的战斗中一举击败了暴政。让我们暂停片刻,向那些军人致敬,一起悼念那些为捍卫自由之火而魂断疆场的勇士们。
在欧洲终结法西斯主义的惨痛经历提醒我们,自由是有代价的。超过3,000万人失去了生命,还有数以千万计的人终生伤残。在欧洲丧生的多是平民,包括600万犹太人以及数百万来自波兰和前苏联的民众。美国也遭受了不可思议的损失。无论是出征欧洲和地中海,还是守卫大西洋,200多万美国军人中,186,000多人献出了宝贵的生命,而受伤人数则是这一数字的两倍以上。
那些无私而英勇的战士们,大多数从来没有经历过一个繁荣的美国。他们在大萧条时期长大,而当时的国家,经济前景非常黯淡。但是,他们依然接受了国家的召唤,因为他们相信我们的立国之本。他们来自中西部平原,他们来自工业和制造业城镇,他们来自广阔的乡村,他们来自新兴城市。许多人从未离开过家乡,却跋涉千里,去世界上各个角落对抗暴虐的敌人。他们在法国的海滩上,比利时的森林里,意大利的山脉中,还有无数欧洲和北非的战场上留下身影。美国英雄们从来没有放弃,直到他们将整个欧洲从邪恶的纳粹手中彻底解放。
今天是二战结束75周年,当我们回顾历史,我们会看到没有任何困难能战胜美国精神。在过去的几个月,我们的国家正在经历新冠病毒的巨大挑战。但是,正如一次次的历史事件告诉我们,美国必将获胜,一个更加强大,更为团结的国家一定会再次崛起。
我与所有美国人一道,向我们在第二次世界大战中英勇奉献和壮烈牺牲的勇士们致敬。今天,在二战期间服役的1600万美国人中,只有不到40万还在世上。他们那一代 – 最伟大的一代 – 将永远不会被遗忘。我们永远感谢他们为美国的成功与繁荣做出的不可估量的贡献。
Seventy-five years ago today, the last remnants of the Nazi regime unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Powers, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Today, we celebrate the forces of freedom who defeated tyranny and emerged victorious in that monumental struggle. We pay tribute to those who served for their service and pause to remember those who gave their last full measure in defense of the flames of liberty.
The campaign to end fascism in the European Theater is a somber reminder of the price of freedom. More than 30 million lives were lost and tens of millions more were shattered in the war. Most of those who perished in Europe were civilians, including 6 million Jews and millions of others from Poland and the former Soviet Union. The United States also suffered incredible losses. Of the more than 2 million Americans who deployed to Europe and the Mediterranean or patrolled the Atlantic Ocean, more than 186,000 paid the ultimate sacrifice, and more than twice that number were wounded.
Most of these selfless and heroic warriors had never known life in a prosperous America. They grew up during the Great Depression, when America’s economic prospects seemed bleak. Yet, they answered our country’s call of duty because they believed in the principles that lie at the foundation of our Nation. They came from the plains of the Midwest, industrial and manufacturing towns, the sprawling farmlands of rural America, and our country’s up-and-coming cities. Many had never traveled outside of their home states, but they would trek thousands of miles around the world to meet their tyrannical enemies on the beaches of France, in the forests of Belgium, on the hills of Italy, and on hundreds of other battlefields of Europe and North Africa. These American heroes would not relent in their noble efforts until they had liberated all of Europe from the abhorrent Nazi regime.
Today, as we reflect on the 75th anniversary of the end of the World War II in Europe, we are reminded that no challenge is greater than the resolve of the American spirit. Over the past months, our Nation has faced remarkable adversity during the coronavirus pandemic. But just as we have so many times before, America will triumph, and we will emerge from this a stronger and more united country.
I join all Americans in honoring our brave warriors for their gallant service and sacrifice in World War II. Fewer than 400,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in our Armed Forces during World War II remain with us today. Their generation—the Greatest Generation—will never be forgotten. We are forever grateful for their immeasurable contributions to the success and prosperity of our Nation.