V-J Day Plus 60 Years

It was, paradoxically, called "The Good War." It's difficult to understand what, exactly, was good about it. It was, in the opinion of most, a just struggle against aggressors who would dominate the globe, imposing totalitarian rule. Clearly, had the Third Reich, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan triumphed, the world would be a far different place, and it is reasonable to say that we would have lost a measure of our humanity in the subsequent sweeping under the rug of the atrocities of the death camps, death marches, diabolical medical experiments, and outright genocide. Opposing this depravity was the only ethical choice.

But it was not a "good" war. War, on any scale, and particularly on the all-pervasive, global scale of World War II, is a poison. Even those who survive without physical wounds are damaged by it - some with a malaise that eventually passes, and others with an illness of soul from which they never recover. I am not a wide-eyed pacifist who believes that we can all embrace in a global "group hug" and avoid conflict entirely. We are human, and human nature includes things like greed, jealousy, and sometimes-wanton cruelty. Even the most altruistic among us must not doubt the fact that others may not similarly wish us well, and that they might seek to do us harm. Still, the decision to engage in armed struggle leads not only to the sacrifice of life and limb, but also to the sacrifice of mind and soul, individually and collectively as a nation. We must consider well the cost of war beyond the "blood and treasure" that is so often cited.

My grandparents' generation, those who fought and suffered through the Second World War, were reluctant warriors. It took the bombing of Pearl Harbor to turn the tide of opinion in support of entering the conflict, but once attacked, that generation enlisted, volunteered, sacrificed, and died without hesitation. I pray that we who have come after them never experience firsthand the anguish they faced. Indeed, what they have given us is a world in which the likelihood of such a war has been reduced almost to the point of elimination. If you have a grandparent, or parent, or another relative who served in that war, or who sacrificed at home in so many ways, you should thank them this week for the relative security and prosperity of a world that they created for us.

And we should silently thank and remember those who have died, especially those who gave their lives in combat. It is difficult to think about what they gave - and I don't mean just the pain and terror of a death far from home. I am moved even more by the 40 or 50 or 60 years' worth of tomorrows that were traded for our freedom and comfort. The thought is devastating: 60 years of time with family and friends, with lovers and children; 60 years of sunshine, and rain, and fishing trips, and lazy Sunday afternoons like tomorrow's. They gave away everything they had, and everything they ever would have, and we owe them at least our thanks and remembrance.

But as they pass away, a few more each day, we seem to forget. And as they can no longer remind us of the poison that war always is, we fall into the trap of ascribing glory to it, and cloak it in myth and slogans, while hiding the flag-draped coffins from view. 60 years later, we seem not to have learned the lessons of war's awful cost, and we seem too willing to spend what the brave men and women of our armed forces offer for the protection of their beloved country.

A world without armed conflict is, perhaps, a utopia we will never see. And we cannot build a high wall around "Fortress America" and post guards in the towers to keep all of "them" out, whoever "they" might be. World War II taught us that lesson. We must be engaged with the world economically, diplomatically, and culturally. But when the dark hour comes and military force must be considered, we should understand that, for all our technology, war is never quick or easy, and that all consequences cannot be foreseen. We will pay a price whenever we choose the sword, and that price will always be more than we can project.

So, this week, offer your thanks to "The Greatest Generation." Say the words aloud to those who are still with us, and say them in your heart to those who have passed on, whether in recent years, or long ago on a beach, in a trench, in a jungle, or under the waves. Tomorrow, and every tomorrow, is a day that they gave us. In return, we should honor them by living well with each other, supporting our families and communities, helping those in need, and taking to heart the lessons taught by their determined example.

Salus populi est suprema lex.

-PMOS