July 1945

July 1945

Peanuts strip originally published on October 28, 1974

Schulz noted the passing of Veteran’s Day many times in the Peanuts comic strip beginning in 1969. Usually these strips were created to appear in newspapers on Veteran’s Day (November 11), but occasionally they appeared at other times of the year, possibly to show that veterans should be honored every day of the year. Often this was achieved by giving a “shout out” to WWII veteran and Willie and Joe cartoonist Bill Mauldin by having Snoopy quaff a root beer in Mauldin’s honor. Schulz also noted the significance of others who documented and shared the enlisted man’s experience in the war like Ernie Pyle, an American journalist who lost his life during the Battle of Okinawa and Audie Murphy, a highly decorated soldier who was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine on July 16, 1945, and later became a successful movie and television actor.

Peanuts strip originally published on November 11, 1992

“I think any sensible person with a grasp of history would have to admit that D-Day was the most important day of our century. Without D-Day it’s possible that Europe could have remained for another 25 or 50 years in darkness. I’m glad I wasn’t there, and yet my admiration for the people who were knows no bounds.”

Charles M. Schulz, 1999

To honor their fellow veteran, Scottsdale, Arizona VFW Post #3591 (Veterans of Foreign Wars) named their post after Schulz in 1989. In June 1993, Schulz began commemorating the D-Day anniversary in the Peanuts comic strip by imploring his readers “to remember” the date in history that had made such a huge impact in liberating Europe from the Axis powers. During the initial planning stages for the National D-Day Memorial located in Bedford, Virginia, Schulz donated a significant amount to the cause and chaired a fund raising committee to show his commitment to building the monument.