President Trump visited North Carolina on Wednesday, where he recognized Wilmington as the first American World War II Heritage City. September 2 marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the war, when Japan formally delivered its surrender to the United States.
“There is no better place to mark this profound World War II anniversary,” the President said. During the war, nearly 2 million Americans trained for service in North Carolina. More than 360,000 North Carolinians would fight in the war, and over 11,000 of these patriots made the ultimate sacrifice for their Nation.
In March of 2019, President Trump signed legislation directing the Interior Secretary to designate one U.S. city each year as an official World War II Heritage City.
Battleship U.S.S. North Carolina served as the backdrop for Wednesday’s announcement. During the war, the Wilmington-based North Carolina Shipbuilding Company built 243 ships in total for the U.S. Navy.
World War II veterans joined the President and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt for the event. “These brave Americans raced into the fires of hell to vanquish tyranny, dethrone fascism, and defend the American way of life,” President Trump said.
“In America, we don’t tear down the past. We celebrate our heroes, we cherish our heritage, we preserve our history—and we build the future.”
