Sadly, humankind continues the same path today despite a claim by the President that we live in an era of peace. It is indeed notable however, that Europe has experienced a longer era of stability and peace since World War II than at any time in the preceding hundreds of years. This was made possible by the Allies lead by the United States in the west ironically joined by a communist totalitarian Soviet Union in the east. But if one looks away from Europe, despite statistics and graphs that seemingly illustrate otherwise, war continues to rage with the very real prospect that it will explode into full-blown worldwide conflict.
Statistically, total fatalities are down as compared to the more than hundred million lost in the last century at the hands of communist Chinese and Soviets on the one hand and German socialists and Japanese Imperialists on the other. To protect its vital interests, the United States became engaged and, it both inflicted and suffered significant losses during WWI, II, Korea, and Vietnam. Then late in the twentieth and early twenty first century, the US again inflicted significant losses against enemy forces in Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom while pushing back against Islamic forces that waged unconventional warfare against it.
One need not be a pessimist to observe and conclude that contemporary events harbor the seeds of worldwide warfare. From:
- Communist China's growing appetite to restore China's historic self-image as the "center of the world;"
- Russia rising like a Phoenix out of the ashes of the Soviet Empire to reassert long-established expansionism;
- ISIS/L's goal of establishing an Islamic Caliphate;
- The constant high stakes tension between North and South Korea;
- Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and open promise to destroy Israel and the United States;
- Israeli right to exist vs. Middle Eastern and Palestinian attempts to destroy it;
- India and Pakistan standing toe to toe with nuclear swords crossed at one another's throats;
- The Mexican "invasion" of the United States with the tacit approval of the American Administration and many members of both major political parties;
- The possibility of a resurgent Japan incident to American acquiescence of its role in world leadership;
- African freedom and independence struggles against Islamist expansion;
- Middle eastern Islamic fratricide;
- Greek economic crisis and European economic struggles; and,
- Central and South American political and economic basket cases.
All these reveal the clear and present reality that "all is not well in Denmark" and it would but take a miscalculated action, an ill-timed or misunderstood movement, or even inflammatory words to ignite a cataclysmic, worldwide explosion.
Despite oft critical assertions, Americans sacrificed much to liberate themselves from the chains of oppression, to throw off old-world slavery, to establish and preserve freedom experienced as never before in the history of the world. America's overwhelming power and frequent presence in unstable areas of the world enabled economic development and growth that otherwise would not have been possible. Despite loud and frequent self-deprecating claims of imperialism by some US politicians, members of academia and the media, it can be unequivocally stated that the United States has been a force for peace and good during the past century, and to date in the present century and it is that fact that has lead to the decline in wartime fatalities.
Across Europe young Americans lie in tens of thousands of graves; in the depths of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans tens of thousands of American dead lie at rest. They also fought and died in the frozen mountains of Korea, in the sweltering jungles of Vietnam, and in the sand, heat and grit of the Middle East and Africa. They were of every ethnicity, race, and creed and they fought to stay alive, for their brothers-in-arms, for freedom; and, for the hope of coming home again. They did not shirk from their role as defenders of freedom and liberators of the oppressed even as they bore the burdens of leadership at great personal sacrifice. They valued family, Country, liberty and God more than they feared death. They marched and fought across a thousand miles, they sailed the world into harm's way, and they flew through clouds of fury; all of that to rescue, protect and liberate those who were without hope, who were lost and dying.
So now, out of an abundance of gratitude we prostrate ourselves to weep for their families and to honor them. We pray that the Almighty will open wide His tender and powerful arms of love and embrace them with eternal peace. May their youthful passing be indelibly imprinted as a perpetual memorial upon the hearts and minds of succeeding generations of Americans as an inspiration and motivation to do whatever is necessary to preserve and protect freedom.
No greater love has anyone than to lay down his life for his friends...and so they did. God bless them: the young, the brave, the patriots who gave their lives so that all Americans can breathe free. We thank them and their families, we honor them, we praise them now...and for all time!