Today (May 8) is the anniversary of V-E or Victory in Europe day. As a new generation of fascists and anti-Semites arises right here in America, this anniversary is a good day to reflect on how the Greatest Generation of Americans conquered back in 1945.
World War II did not end with the defeat of the Nazis and Italian fascists, as Japan was still a formidable enemy. But for millions of Americans in 1945, V-E Day — designated the day after the Germans surrendered — was still an occasion of overwhelming relief and joy. Soldiers in Western Europe no longer had to face imminent death and their families back home no longer had to await the dreaded and heart-wrenching news of a beloved soldier’s death. V-E Day was, above all, a victory for the ordinary — or not-so-ordinary — American soldier, who, in spite of many incompetent Allied generals and a ruthless enemy, had triumphed in the name of liberty and justice for all.
The 11 million American soldiers who fought, especially the more than 135,000 who died, to win the war in Europe were patriotic, brave, determined, and self-sacrificial. They exemplified the best qualities of the American character. U.S. soldiers knew how to fight like h-ll and yet forgive and rebuild an enemy after the war was won. Only America would fight a huge and deadly war against enemies who tried to destroy them and then offer aid to the conquered enemies afterwards. Even when American commanders made disastrous decisions — and most Allied commanders besides Patton and MacArthur were constantly making foolish or weak decisions — the American soldiers carried on and never gave up. That same patriotism, perseverance, and courage were exemplified in the civilians waiting and working back home in America, too.
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Now, right here in America, the new Nazis and new fascists have arisen. They march for genocide of Jews on our college campuses, they burn our cities, they persecute and imprison their political opponents, they burn Old Glory and deface statues of American heroes. Pro-Hamas protestors just defaced a WWI memorial in New York, specifically disrespecting the courage of the military heroes of America’s past.
The attitude of the Greatest Generation can be summed up in a quote by the greatest American general of WWII, George Patton: “I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.” Now too many Americans either refuse to fight at all or fight on behalf of authoritarianism. Perhaps that’s because the Democrat Party, which controls our government and institutions, has only become more dictatorial and much less patriotic since WWII.
Before the war, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt praised Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and received the warm compliments of Mussolini in his turn. The Nazi press lauded Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” Under Democrat Harry Truman, dozens of Nazi scientists were brought over to the U.S. to work for the American government. Now the modern Democrat Party openly repeats anti-Semitic propaganda and pushes fascistic policies. It’s a regression for sure, but a logical one.
Every generation in American history must face an enemy, either foreign or domestic, that is trying to destroy both the U.S. and the American ethos. Sometimes the fight is military and sometimes it is political/cultural. The Americans of WWII fought and won their war, and we must ensure that their sacrifices were not made in vain and that the new Nazis and fascists will not conquer where their foreign predecessors failed.
