War in my lifetime
A few months ago I turned 75 and to tell the truth I don’t feel much older then I did when I turned 60. Family members called and my son and daughter-in-law joined Jeri and me for a surprise brunch at Nicks Cove. I loved it. Notwithstanding what is suppose to be those difficult years of moving into the senior age of living, I find it rather refreshing to have lived this long. Lots has happened over the past 75 years.
To begin with, in 1940 the world was at war with Germany for a second in time in less then 20 years. Then On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and by doing so declared war on the United States. A second World War had begun, and we were in the midst of it. The country pulled together politically and spiritually and commented itself to winning these wars no matter what the cost; and it cost a lot. In all, more then 16 million Americans fought in WWII and by the time it ended 405,000 American military personnel had been killed with another 607,000 injured.
I recall the day the European War ended in 1945! It was May 8 and everyone one of us kids were outside shouting and slamming pan lids together while parents honked the horns of their cars. I wasn’t sure what it all meant, but I had a feeling is was a very special day.
In September 1945, I was enrolled into Kindergarten at Coloma Elementary School and my life of learning had begun. In 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt would be reelected to his fourth term and would become the longest sitting president in history. When Roosevelt died on April 12,1945, of a brain hemorrhage he was succeeded by Harry Truman. When President Truman came into office he was unaware that the U.S. had developed an Atomic Bomb. In fact he and President Roosevelt were not close, and met only eight times prior to FDR’s death. With the European war over, President Truman was eager to bring the war in the Pacific to an end, and ordered the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan with an “atomic bomb” on August 6, 1945 followed by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki on August 9. The Pacific war ended shortly there after.
In the early 50’s we were trying to keep communism out of Korea and Vietnam. The Korean engagement, a so-called police action, started in 1950 and came to a standstill in 1953 when a ceasefire was declared by both sides. That ceasefire is still in force. More than 55,000 American troops were killed in that war.
Shortly thereafter we got involved in the war in Vietnam and my brother in-law, an air force 1sLt who was stationed in Hawaii, was transporting support supplies to South Vietnam. He recalled having his plane “shot at” as he flew in and out of Saigon. The war lasted until 1975 when the Congress refused to fund its continuation. In all, 57,209 American military personnel were killed in action in the Vietnam war.
Things remained relatively quiet during the rest of the 70’s and most of the 80’s with civil wars in the middle east and Latin America. Then on January 16, 1991, President George H. W. Bush authorized the “100 Hour War” to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
In the presidential election of November 2000 George W. Bush was elected President. Then came 9/11. Then the Afghan War began, followed by the invasion of Iraq in 2002 with both conflicts continuing in one form or another today at an aggregate cost of $4 trillion with approximately 60,000+ American military lives lost thus far.
When you think about it, we have become numb to the Afghan and Iraq wars. We don’t have nightly reports on how things are going on either front except to hear and see what ISSIL is doing or what might be happening in Syria. I don’t feel safer because we invaded Iraq and I don’t know many who do. What I feel is that our bent toward going to war, somewhere in the world, seems to haunt us.
Thus far the two wars have killed 132,000 Afghan and Iraqi civilians and the killing is still going on. Yes it is depressing, and in some ways hopeless, and yet I have come to accept it. Perhaps this is what it means to be a 75-year-old white haired grandfather looking back over his life.
