If there is one day when I am wholly proud to have been born and raised in the former USSR, it is today. Anyone who shares my background has at least one person in their extended family tree who either gave their lives in the Great Patriotic War or marched to the victory with the Red Army. For that, they deserve our eternal gratitude, no less today than 63 years ago.
I can see in my mind’s eye my late grandfather, wearing his full complement of military awards, smiling on this day, and even though his generation is almost entirely gone today, I still want to join with my former compatriots in celebrating the generation of heroes and the great day of victory over fascism.
С Днём Победы!
I’m not sure what the appropriate salutation would be for this occasion — Happy Victory Day? — but I certainly agree that our grandfathers (and the grandmothers who supported them on the home front) were amazing people who did remarkable, heroic things. Raise a glass for me as well!
Thank you, Jason!
Going by how С Днём Рождения is translated as Happy Birthday, I guess Happy Victory Day is the only possible salutation. Sounds a bit frivolous, though…
Yes, it does… we’ll have to work on that one… 🙂