Viewpoint

“People who fought in World War II were marinated in the ideas that evil is real and that American power is an essential, irreplaceable force for good. They intuitively understood the moral narrative of Munich, Buchenwald, D-Day, Hiroshima, NATO, and the twilight struggle. And they generally shared the notion that the United States could do anything that power, wealth, will, and courage could accomplish. This presented the temptation of overreach, as in Vietnam. [But] they twice saved humanity from well-armed, aggressive, totalitarian ideologies—first as soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and then as statesmen. The United States and the world owe them a great deal.” Michael Gerson in The Washington Post