Why we’re losing lessons of WWII

Pop Quiz: What two actions of World War II killed the most people?

Those answering Hiroshima and Nagasaki would be dead wrong.

In fact, it was the fire-bombings of Tokyo and Dresden.

But never let truth get in the way of revisionist history.

Those who lived through the war, as well as the generations who endured the Cold War, overwhelmingly believe that dropping the atomic bomb was the right thing to do.

But par for the course, almost half of the whining Millennials (sorry – that was redundant) demonize America for its decision to do so. And thanks to an everincreasing number of Leftist college professors brainwashing students, that number continues to grow.

In the wake of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, much was written about the sacrifices of The Greatest Generation. But as they and successive generations continue to depart, their legacy is being tarnished.

In fairness, part of the reason for warped conceptions of WW II is because our schools virtually never teach it. It should be mandated that all eighth graders learn about both World Wars and their aftermath, followed by more intensive analysis as high school seniors. It’s bad enough we forget much of world history, but losing knowledge of what happened in the Second World War, and why, is the surest way to repeat that very darkest of periods.

Those disagreeing with the decision to drop the atomic bombs have no historical leg on which to stand.

Many object because they killed so many people. But, as mentioned, they were behind the fire-bombings in terms of casualties. So, by definition, those folks must also take issue with the conventional bombing campaigns. Sure, there remains the possibility that nuclear conflagration could wipe out Planet Earth. Therefore, reducing stockpiles and preventing new nations from obtaining nukes have been winning policies. But let’s also not forget that A) the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings remain the only time in nearly 75 years that nuclear weapons were used in anger; B) peaceful nuclear power has been a godsend, especially for the environment; and most important, C) our nuclear arsenal has served as the sentinel of world peace.

Must one agree with everything done by America’s leaders in World War II? Of course not. From Japanese internment camps, to harassment of Italian-Americans, to FDR not informing the American people of Hitler’s Final Solution, numerous things could have been handled better.

But there’s a hell of a lot more we did right. We treated prisoners of war with the highest standards of care. We allowed our adversaries to maintain dignity and self-respect upon surrender. We gave extremely favorable terms to our defeated foes, and poured billions into reconstructing Germany, Italy and Japan (as well as allied nations) – so much so that we put ourselves at a disadvantage by building them state-of-the-art factories while America’s industrial and physical infrastructure remained outdated. And of course, we gave them blanket protection against the forces of communism that remains in place to this day. The Left’s ploy of applying today’s “modern sensibilities” to actions of the past – which they use to politicize history – is more dangerous than war.

In large part because of the Greatest Generation, today’s Millennials have never experienced war. The resulting softness has fostered a misplaced sense of entitlement where they demonize their own country on social media – both in the past and today – while sipping lattes and munching avocado beansprout sandwiches.

Once we allow history to be rewritten to satisfy the whims of the “offended,” it is difficult to turn back. There is not a civilization in history that has not committed transgressions that, by today’s standards, appall us. But more than any other country, America has shown a remarkable resilience in admitting and rectifying its mistakes.

I’m lucky to be here because both of my grandfathers served in the United States Navy during WWII. I owe it to them, as we all owe the Greatest Generation, to stand proud about how America conducted itself during that struggle. Anything less, and their sacrifices will have been in vain.

No one is perfect, but the Greatest Generation came close. God Bless them.