World War II veterans from Long Island honored on V-E Day anniversary

Eighty years after celebrations broke out over the Nazi regime’s surrender in Europe, three Long Island veterans who fought during World War II took part in a walk of honor Thursday at The Museum of American Armor.

A trumpet blared as Roslyn Heights resident Harry Arlin, 97, Wantagh resident William DeGroat, 102, and North Bellmore resident Abe Meltzer, 99, made their way down the militarylike processional at the Old Bethpage museum on Victory in Europe Day, better known as V-E Day.

“I never thought I would live through a day like today,” said Meltzer, who took part in the Battle of the Bulge. “It's more than I expected.”

After years of fighting, Nazi forces on May 8, 1945, surrendered in Europe to Allied powers, which included England and the United States. The surrender sparked celebrations in several Allied countries.

Still, the war was not over, and fighting would continue in Japan and other places in the Pacific and Victory over Japan Day usually is considered the end of the war.

As of last year, around 66,000 World War II veterans were still alive, The National WWII Museum in New Orleans said, citing figures from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Yet, the number of World War II veterans who are still alive is set to fall to 1,000 by 2034, the Department of Veterans Affairs said on its website.

During World War II, each of the three men honored at the museum on Thursday helped Allied forces achieve victory.

In the Army, Meltzer said he remembered guarding a railroad track and arresting Germans who were jumping off trains.

“I'm glad I served, spent my time in Europe, it was an experience for me. I came home without a scratch, so I got nothing to complain about,” he said.

DeGroat, who took part in D-Day at Omaha Beach, said Thursday: “I'm just glad it's over.”

While in the British forces, Arlin was a tank driver between Normandy and Belgium, the museum said.

His wife, Karen Arlin, said people should remember what happened but doesn’t know if they do.

Jason Halloren, a trustee at the museum and former deputy commandant at West Point, said the veterans’ stories are important in two main ways: proving hindsight of what they experienced and foresight in recognizing “the evil that was out there that they were combating.”

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.