Tuesday, August 15th marks the 61st anniversary of V.J. day commemorating our victory over Japan and the end of World War II.
It was a war that could easily have been prevented, perhaps without firing a shot had we been awake to the danger in time. For a historical reflection on that, see this post from March.
The death toll for all of World War II, including the holocaust (see country by country chart here) may have topped sixty million lives lost.
To the brave men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II: our thanks and undying gratitude. You served your country at a time of maximum peril and kept us safe from the horror that ravaged much of the rest of the world. We will never forget your sacrifice and we honor your memory by standing up today for the principles of freedom for which you fought.
As the end of World War II loomed, the victorious nations gathered in San Francisco and signed the Charter of the United Nations in June 1945.
The Charter promised: " To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace."
Whether or not the U.N. lives up to it's charter, Americans must remain dedicated to these principles, even if that means accomplishing the goals expressed through other means.
History will never forgive us if we once again fail to address the threat until it is too late.
It was a war that could easily have been prevented, perhaps without firing a shot had we been awake to the danger in time. For a historical reflection on that, see this post from March.
The death toll for all of World War II, including the holocaust (see country by country chart here) may have topped sixty million lives lost.
To the brave men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II: our thanks and undying gratitude. You served your country at a time of maximum peril and kept us safe from the horror that ravaged much of the rest of the world. We will never forget your sacrifice and we honor your memory by standing up today for the principles of freedom for which you fought.
As the end of World War II loomed, the victorious nations gathered in San Francisco and signed the Charter of the United Nations in June 1945.
The Charter promised: " To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace."
Whether or not the U.N. lives up to it's charter, Americans must remain dedicated to these principles, even if that means accomplishing the goals expressed through other means.
History will never forgive us if we once again fail to address the threat until it is too late.
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