In a ceremony at the Russian embassy in Washington on Monday, Mr. Cohn, along with 28 more WWII veterans, was awarded a Russian jubilee medal in honor of the 60th VE-Day anniversary.
We were very glad at the time that the war was drawing to an end, the US veteran said, having brought faded pictures taken at the Elbe. One of them showed him in the company of a Soviet soldier.
Having spent six month fighting, you are glad when artillery gunfire subsides. We were happy that the war was about to end, the former combat engineer said. He received a formal invitation to come to Moscow to celebrate the 60th VE-Day.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Russian Ambassador to the United States Yuri Ushakov stressed that it was being held on the day the Elbe linkup took place 60 years ago, "on the day that is of special importance for the peoples of Russia and the United States".
"The Elbe linkup was not only of historic importance for the final defeat of Nazism and a sign of the upcoming end of the war, in which millions of Soviet soldiers and hundreds of thousands of their US counterparts gave life for their countries. It also was a symbol of our brotherhood-in-arms in the fight against a common enemy and a most memorable hallmark in the relations between our countries," Ambassador Ushakov emphasized.
During the awards ceremony, the Russian Army's Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble performed for the US and Russian veterans. The ensemble's tour dedicated to the 60th VE-Day anniversary were organized by RIA Novosti, with the ensemble now performing in the United States.
