The War Day Two and Three: America's Shining Moment

I bristle these days when Conservatives rewrite history and adopt a revisionist view of the way things were and the American ideal. The truth is for much of the early history of our nation, as Revolution swept Europe in 1848 the US was too busy on an expansionist course to even pay as much as lip service to the cause of Liberty and Democracy. For years European revolutionaries looked to France, and even to the forgone Napoleonic era for inspiration, not to the United States. In the late Nineteenth Century as the age old Austrian, Russian and Ottoman (Turkish) Empires were experiencing nationalist upheavals much of the inspiration for these movements came again from Western Europe especially France and the U.S. played no role whatsoever in promoting, freedom, nationalism or self determination as a desirable goal.

A myth has been developed that we "saved" France in World War I. This may be true to a certain extent, but when a nation has lost 1/3rd of its adult male population in a war, something few Western nations have ever experienced, (the states in Germany that made up the Holy Roman Empire lost about half its adult male population in the Thirty Years War in the 17th Century, but otherwise I cannot think of an example.) I think disparaging their willingness to fight in armed conflict is very disingenuous. For today's patriot police to claim that the U.S. has always been the guiding light for worldwide freedom and democracy is a canard which has no backing in pre World War II history.

The reality is that World War I was as much if not more of a worldwide event than World War II, and the U.S.A. played little role except on the Western European front. Fighting was intense in Italy where the Italians fought the Austrians, on the Eastern Front where the Germans fought the Russians, in Africa where the Germans fought the British and the French, in the Middle East where the British fought the Turks and in the Pacific where the Japanese fought the Germans. It was the US' selfish isolationism after the end of this conflict that helped to leave new democracies vulnerable to collapse and ascended the inauguration of a second worldwide conflict in less than 30 years. The selfishness of the United States was best exhibited by the lifestyle of many of its citizens during the "Roaring 20s" when Americans cared little if anything about the rest of the planet.

The first time the US truly fought in major combat in all theaters in a fight to save American ideals of liberty and freedom was in World War II. Unlike future conflicts in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq where the US was fighting on the side of freedom against despotic figures the United States public was actively engaged in the conflict and working hard on the home front to support the troops. The meaning and value of freedom was cherished by the American public for truly the first time and without a doubt the United States as Franklin Roosevelt had put it was the "Arsenal of Democracy."

World War II changed the United States for the better and turned us into the nation we are today, protecting the ideals of liberty and freedom and shining a guiding light for the rest of world and those who strive to be free.

The War: Day One- The Concept of Self Sacrifice

Ken Burns master stroke when making historical documentaries continues with this series. By choosing several individuals and following them through the war period you get a sense of the sacrifice involved both on the home front and by those who actually served abroad during the war. This should be a valuable lesson to the generation of Americans today who feel no sacrifice, economically, professionally or socially is necessary to keep our nation great and our ideals from attack by those Islamic based terrorist groups that seek to undermine our standing abroad. President George W. Bush helped to create this apathy with his decision based largely around political considerations after September 11th to tell Americans to proceed as normal with their daily lives. The "Greatest Generation" as dubbed by Tom Brokaw didn't react this way after Pearl Harbor nor do the citizens of other Western Democracies who get drawn into unpleasant wars. When France, Germany and Italy were in the 1980s the subject of consistent terrorist bombings by the same types of groups who attacked the United States on 9/11/01 their citizenry rallied behind their flag and made real sacrifices to the way everyday life proceeded to fight off the terrorist threat.

"The War" comes out at a critical time in our history. With our Army demoralized and undermanned, our nation's security in peril and our enemies such as Iran and North Korea unchecked except by words by a weakened United States, you can walk the streets and find a generation in power both in Government and in Corporate America that is busy pursuing self realizing pursuits and a younger generation that knows nothing of its own nation's history and ideals and doesn't feel the need to protect these ideals against those who mean to it and ultimately us harm. Personally, I have made an effort to better understand the Middle East by reading several books on the Ottoman Empire and its collapse after World War I which led to the partition of many areas including the modern day Balkans, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Syria. I also have recently signed up for Americorps and will use whatever opportunity comes my way to work to better my community whether through the Americorps program or through Community service through other outfits.

Americans of all stripes should be watching Ken Burns film and should be asking themselves "What can I do for my Country," as John F. Kennedy so eloquently put it in his Inaugural speech in 1960. America is great because America is good," has been throughout our history. America has always been great because unlike the imperialist European nations who exploited local populations our nation promoted self determination as a concept in our foreign policy and worked through international institutions and diplomacy to achieve means that met our ideals. Today this is lost on our nation as our President pursues a reckless foreign policy backed not simply because he has a group of "neo-conservative" Wilsonian backers and the Republican Party behind him but because of the continued apathy bordering on selfishness of the rest of the American population. This selfishness is even exhibited by many of those on the left who seek an disengagement of American interests from the Middle East and abroad without understanding the consequences of such actions and how that would undermine the American ideals and psyche going forward.

We live in a time where Americans of all stripes are disconnected from the concept of truly being an American. Ken Burns' film which has six more parts showing through next Tuesday on PBS is a necessary vehicle for brining some perspective to a lost generation.

Return to Blogging: The War; A Film By Ken Burns

I haven't blogged in months and have been going through a very difficult personal period. I however am returning to blogging this week with a morning review of the previous night's showing of "The War" on PBS. This is one of the most significant documentaries ever made and am anticipating a great film by the master documentary maker, Ken Burns.