Military and Veteran Services Commemorates 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II

Military and Veteran Services Commemorates 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II

Military and Veteran Services (MAVS) at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville marked the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII this fall with a series of programs exploring the war's lasting impact at home and around the world.

The first event of the series, "Women at War," included a presentation and book signing from Tanya Roth, PhD, lecturer, local instructor and author of "Her Cold War: Women in the U.S. Military, 1945-1980."

Roth highlighted the contributions of women through military service and discussed how increased manpower during World War II resulted in women's permanent integration into the armed forces by 1948 and concluded with emphasizing the significance and challenges of women's service today.

Roth previously participated in Military and Veteran Services' 75th Anniversary of Military Integration Commemoration in 2023.

MAVS continued WWII tributes with welcoming back Francis Gary Powers, Jr., the chairman and founder of The Cold War Museum in Vint Hill, Va, and son of Francis Gary Powers Sr., the renowned Air Force and U-2 pilot recruited by the CIA to fly Cold War spy missions over the Soviet Union before being shot down the Soviet forces in 1960. Powers' presentation, "World War II and the Birth of the Cold War," chronologized events that led to adversarial divides between the United States and Soviet Union.

Powers' presentation was a follow up to his campus visit over the summer as a MAVS special guest when he discussed his book, "Spy Pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 Incident, and a Controversial Cold War Legacy," co-authored with Keith Dunnavant.

The 80th anniversary commemoration concluded with the MAVS Book Club's reading of "The Last Thing You Surrender," by Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts, Jr. The World War II historical fiction novel touched on timely topics that led to an enriching discussion.

To learn more about Tanya Roth, visit her website at TanyaRoth.com. To learn more about Francis Gary Powers Jr., visit garypowers.com. To learn more about The Cold War Museum, visit coldwar.org.

PHOTOS: Tanya Roth, Telisha Reinhardt, assistant director of MAVS; Frances Gary Powers Jr.