Busy weekend slate for Hillman’s 78th V-J Days to include parade
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HILLMAN -- Hillman started its annual V-J Days celebration on Thursday with its annual pageant. On Friday, there was a white elephant and bake sale at the St. Augustine Church, a book sale at the Hillman Wright Public Library, and a fish fry at multiple locations.
While the St. Augustine activities and book sales continue through the weekend, businesses, bands, and other local groups have prepared for the VFW Grand Parade and the events that follow on Saturday during the village's 78th consecutive V-J Days celebration.
The VFW holds a parade every year, but Robert "Bob" Hunt, commander of Hillman VFW Post 2356, said it wasn't always the organization's responsibility to take care of the event.
"The village used to do it and they finally got enough flack that they stopped," Hunt said. "The VFW took over. And we're not going to stop until this place closes. My stepdad was in the Bataan Death March."
Gail Firman, V-J Day coordinator, added to Hunt's sentiment.
"So was Gerald Rea," Firman said. "We're celebrating those guys that survived it. (V-J Day) is not so much about defeating the Japanese. It's more about the men and women that survived the war."
Hunt said Hillman is the only place in the country to celebrate the day continuously due to the meaning of the celebration. V-J Day -- short for Victory over Japan Day -- marked the effective end of WWII when Japan surrendered to the United States on Aug. 15, 1945 after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It marks the end of the war, but to many, it also marks the day hundreds of thousands of innocent lives were lost.
Firman mentioned Rea as a Bataan Death March survivor, but he was also a Japanese prisoner of war for three years. To honor him, the VFW float has his name and history on its side.
"(People) don't like the way the war ended," Hunt said. "That was bombing the cities in Japan. The way I look at it, as a military man, the Japanese would have never surrendered. And we would have lost more people if the war continued without doing that. That's my explanation of it."
When the VFW took over the parade, it kept the tradition going, but float numbers decreased and the event became smaller and smaller. When Firman attended the 2022 parade, there were only three floats.
For her, that was not enough.
"I went (to Bob and said), 'What the hell is going on here?,'" Firman said with laughter. "I come back to him and I said, 'Who the hell is in charge of this parade?' He said, 'Nobody, really,' and I said, 'Well there is now.'"
She met with Mitch Smith, the quartermaster of the parade, and came up with plans to bring the village together for events and more.
After meeting and sending letters to multiple businesses, bands, and residents, Firman and the VFW managed to receive multiple applications for floats and vehicles in the parade.
Now, they say there are over a dozen floats that will line up at St. Augustine Church for the start of the parade, with more floats expected to come around at the last minute.
Firman also said veterans organizations usually have a Grand Marshal, which the Hillman VFW didn't have this year.
It's a highly honorable title that is usually voted on, which members of the group secretly did.
"Someone asked us who our Grand Marshal is and we just didn't have one," Firman said. "The group was all sitting at a table while Bob was preparing the fish fry. I told them about the position and they pretty much voted for him unanimously.
"We'll hold nominations and votes next year, but it was pretty much decided that Bob would be the Grand Marshal," she added. "The thing is, he doesn't know."
Firman said they planned to tell Hunt on Friday night, on the eve of the parade.
During the parade at noon, floats will come down State Street and a speaker will announce all the different mobile units. When Bob comes down in his Jeep,he will be announced as the Grand Marshal of Hillman VFW.
"He does so much for us," Firman said. "He cuts the grass for the building and he comes in three days a week to help out. He's always been there for the group."
Other planned V-J Days events this weekend include a hot dog, brats and chips lunch at the VFW Poset, a Quilts of Valor Presentation, horse carriage rides, free concerts at Hillman Band Shell, a fireworks display, Car Cruise Night and a Sunday car show, and a Tiger Golf Scramble on Sunday.