NORFOLK, Neb. -- Eighty years after the guns fell silent in Europe, marking the end of World War II hostilities, the Sons of The American Legion gathered last Saturday, June 29th, to honor the heroes and the iconic vessel that carried them to victory on VE-Day. The ceremony paid tribute to the brave men and women who served and the pivotal role of the Higgins boat in achieving that victory.

"This boat placed so much significance with World War Two and victory in Europe," said Sons of The American Legion's national chairman, Chris Casey. "In fact, Eisenhower was quoted as saying that they may not have won the war without the Higgins boat."

Before the Higgins boat, the military relied on glider vessels made of cardboard and plywood, which proved inadequate. "They would pull the gliders behind a plane and just cut it loose and it would glide in," explained Sons of The American Legion National Vice Commander Mike Monserud. "The injury rate was very high and caused a lot of deaths. And it just wasn't feasible to get shot down."

The innovative design of the Higgins boat, developed by Andrew Higgins, originally from Columbus, Nebraska, revolutionized amphibious warfare. "The Higgins boat had machine guns, steel gates, and steel siding, these were to repel small arms fire like the machine guns on the boat," Monserud noted. "These boats would safely get the troops to the beach. Then they would drop the ramp once they got close enough to the beach and the troops would storm out."

"Basically they would overwhelm the enemy with the large quantity of people that they were dumping in because they would come up to the beach, drop off, head back out to the ships, load up another crew, and even the best enemy defenses couldn't keep up with thousands and thousands of troops landing to fight against them." Larger versions of the Higgins boat transported tanks, trucks, and ammunition, crucial for resupplying troops.

Monserud emphasized the importance of remembering the past, including the evils of fascism and racism, to prevent their recurrence. "Go down to your American Legion post, go see a VFW post, go down and see a veteran," he urged. "Ask him to tell you the stories of what it was like when they served. What happened over there so you can understand and carry that on to your children one day."