Eighty years. A lifetime for many, and yet a heartbeat in the grand annals of history. This week, we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, a milestone not only in years, but in meaning. This isn’t just a date in a history book. This is an echo of triumph, sacrifice, and humanity’s fierce hope in the face of unthinkable darkness.
As the number of surviving World War II veterans grows ever fewer, this anniversary becomes a sacred moment – perhaps our last chance – to honour them not just with words, but with our hearts. To sit in their presence, to hear their stories carried in voices now weathered by time, is a privilege we must not take for granted. Each story is a thread in the tapestry of our shared freedom, woven with courage, loss, and love.
Soldiering On Awards and X-Forces Enterprise, like many other organisations across the Armed Forces community, are quite rightly paying tributes now and throughout the year. We will use the Awards night in October as our focal point to shine a light on many of these stories between now and then.
A Legacy of Unity
These acts are more than remembrance. They are a reckoning – a call to reflect deeply on what their struggle meant and why it matters today. And a reminder that peace is not passive – when we truly come together there is little that we cannot achievement. True unity means standing shoulder to shoulder, just as those who lived through war did when they forged a peace that shaped the modern world.
The 80th anniversary is a bridge between past and present – a reminder that the values we hold dear were paid for in lives, and that honouring them requires more than memory. It demands action. It demands unity.
Walking in the Footsteps of Giants
VE Day marked the end of a war, but more than that, it marked the beginning of a promise: that never again would we forget the cost of freedom, nor take peace for granted. These aren’t abstract ideals. They are deeply human truths. To the younger generations, these truths are beacons – reminders of what it truly means to be brave, to fight for justice, and to hold fast to hope. To the older generations, they are a moment of reflection, pride, and remembrance of all that was endured.
When we bring these generations together – through storytelling, ceremony, and shared memory – we breathe life into history. We transform remembrance into responsibility. We light the way forward with the wisdom of the giants who walked before us.
More Than Memory – A Movement
As we honour these extraordinary veterans, we’re doing more than looking back. We’re carrying their spirit forward. We’re embracing their strength as our own. We’re declaring, with pride and passion, that unity still matters. That courage still matters. That the flame of remembrance must never fade – because in that flame lies our future.
Let us stand together in 2025, not just to remember, but to recommit, to a world where peace is cherished, where unity is celebrated, and where the stories of our veterans live forever in the hearts of a grateful nation.
From all the team at Soldiering On Awards and X-Forces Enterprise, we hope you are able to mark the week in a fitting way.
