60 Years After the War in Europe

Do you ever wonder what prevents evil from triumphing in the world? This year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe and the Pacific. Looking at that war should make us think about the deep currents of good and evil that flow in this world.

by Darris McNeely

On May 9, more than 50 world leaders gathered in Moscow to celebrate the end of World War II. Over 40 million people perished in that conflict. It is fitting that Russia hosted the event since it lost more people, 27 million, than any other nation. Sixty years later they still reflect on what that conflict meant to the world.

Later this year there will be the commemoration of the end of the war in the Pacific theater and we'll see more ceremonies marking that event. Last year it was the 60th anniversary of D-Day that brought leaders to France to remember. Many observers feel this will be the last great commemoration for the generation that fought in that global conflict.

Recently I heard U.S. Senator Robert Dole, himself a veteran who was wounded in Italy during the last days of the war, commenting on radio about how few Americans who fought then are still alive. The "greatest generation" is rapidly leaving us. Their story is truly one of heroic proportions.

Evil defeated—yet forgotten

Good and evil were clearly defined in that war. Nazi fascism was embodied in Benito Mussolini of Italy, Emperor Hirohito of Japan and, worst of all, Germany's Adolf Hitler. Had this original "axis of evil" won, it is likely I would not be writing to you in English. The entire history of the past 60 years would be much different.

But they did not win. America came late to that conflict, but made the decisive difference, turning the tide along with the other Allied powers. America's role in that conflict is not fully understood, nor, some would say, fully appreciated, by a new generation in Europe. This collective amnesia is part of the growing divide between Europe and the United States and has some serious consequences.

One is that few Europeans today feel indebted to America for the major role it played in saving them from Nazism and returning freedom to their soil. World War II is the one item of European history about which Americans are likely to be well versed. For the past 60 years it has been the theme of movies, books and personal stories of those who lived through it.

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0506/warineurope.htm

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