WEBVTT

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Welcome to this week's reflective

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moments of America's military , a

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weekly segment where we take you

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through some of the major events from

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the US military's 250 year history . On

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May 8th , 1945 , the world celebrated

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Victory in Europe Day , or VE Day , as

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Nazi Germany surrendered , marking the

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end of World War II in Europe . It was

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a moment of relief and victory after

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almost 5 years of fierce combat . The

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day symbolized the triumph of Allied

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forces and a hope for peace .

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On May 10th , 1775 , American soldiers

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and militia , including Ethan Allen and

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the Green Mountain Boys , launched a

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surprise attack and captured Fort

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Ticonderoga , a British weapons and

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supplies stronghold . This victory

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helped the Patriots to gain an

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advantage early in the Revolutionary

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War . On May 14th ,

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1804 , Captain Meriwether Lewis and

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Lieutenant William Clark began their

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Corps of Discovery expedition from

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Saint Charles , Missouri . Their goal

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was to explore the Louisiana Territory ,

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discovery water routes to the Pacific

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Ocean , and document new plants and

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landforms . Despite facing several

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challenges , they were successful in

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opening the West for expansion and

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increasing knowledge on the American

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frontier . And this has been this

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week's reflective moments of America's

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military . Visit our website to learn

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more and stay tuned for more next week .