{"id":146907,"date":"2025-05-23T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//?p=146907"},"modified":"2025-07-15T09:53:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T13:53:48","slug":"honoring-the-80th-ve-day-memorial-day-2025-florida-france-soldier-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//honoring-the-80th-ve-day-memorial-day-2025-florida-france-soldier-stories/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907//","title":{"rendered":"Honoring the 80th VE Day, Memorial Day 2025: Florida France Soldier Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

This May marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2014 the end of World War II in Europe /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2014 and serves as a powerful reminder of the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who fought to liberate Europe. Each Memorial Day we commemorate veterans who served and are no longer with us./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n

To honor their legacy and ensure their stories aren/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2019t forgotten, the Florida France Soldier Stories (FFSS) project, through UCF/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2019s Department of History, recognizes the Floridians who fought and died in Europe during World War II and are now buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n

The project, which intends to memorialize Gold Star Floridians from World War II, also teaches history students how to conduct research and construct a historical narrative. This year 10 new biographies are being published through the project in honor of VE Day on May 8 and Memorial Day on May 26./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201cThe young men whom our UCF students learn about died [around] the age [they] are when they research these stories. [Students] learn valuable research and writing skills, as well as about an individual who paid the ultimate price during World War II,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201d says Amelia Lyons, leader of the FFSS project and an associate professor in the UCF history department./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201c[FFSS] is bringing back all these men who died in service,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201d says history graduate student Marie Oury. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201cToday they teach students how to be better historians. Without their willingness to serve again, we couldn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2019t do the project. It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u2019s a bridge between Florida and France, where local histories in two places become one./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n

FFSS graduate students verify all sources, edit biographies written by undergraduates and manage the FFSS website. In the process, they develop a range of professional skills they can carry into their careers after graduation./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/146907/n