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World War II remembered 70 years after Japanese surrender
War left lasting impact on veterans, communities
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The newly appointed Postmaster General Hannagin, among other dignitaries, deliver speaches to the crowd in front of the courthouse on a day coined Truman Day in 1945. Truman Day was an effort by Hall County leaders to not only show that they had a plan for the future, but to inspire one more big push for a war-bond drive.
Ray and Ellie Williams are celebrating 70 years in both love and war. The young Navy couple in Gainesville was overwhelmed by emotions as they got married in mid-August 1945, just as the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. “It was a very joyous time,” said Ray Williams, who now lives in Blairsville. The Naval Air Technical Training Center, which occupied what is now Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, was certainly not the only military base or installation where personnel were throwing parties to mark the end of history’s bloodiest conflict.