May 8th marks the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E Day) ending a world war in a theater that cost an estimated 60,000,000 deaths of both soldiers and civilians. The war in Japan would continue until September of 1945, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
The Western armies of the United States and Great Britain showed amazing courage, ingenuity, resourcefulness, professionalism and tenacity in overcoming Nazi Germany. V-E Day certainly is a very significant date to commemorate for had the Western allies not prevailed, it is difficult to imagine what would have happened to the civilized world.
Despite the tremendous victory, a pattern of defeat also began at the end of World War II. To be honest, there are some hard truths that must be faced regarding what happened from the end of World War II until our days.
America and our ally, England, despite showing tremendous bravery and resolve, achieved only a partial victory as many concessions were made.
First of all, America made an alliance with a regime even more murderous than Nazi Germany: the Soviet Union. The official beginning of World War II began when Germany and Russia invaded and divided Poland under the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Later Germany turned on Russia and America allied itself with Stalin.
At the end of World War II, Stalin was handed all of Eastern Europe by the allies as a prize which caused the enslavement, murder, torture and imprisonment of millions of freedom-loving people. Many soldiers and civilians who surrendered to the Western allies were sent east, to the tender mercies of Stalin and were never seen again. By V-J Day America had the bomb and could have demanded the withdrawal of Soviet communist troops from Eastern Europe, but did not do so.
The end of World War II began a pattern by political leaders to appease instead of overcome our enemies. Appeasement only postpones problems; it does not eliminate them. What motivated this change of tactics was probably a combination of naiveté, ignorance of leftist ideologies, a weak will or downright ideological cohesion.
During World War II, General Chiang Kai-Shek led the Chinese army against Japan. After the war, Chiang Kai-Shek became president of the Republic of China. Mao Tse-tung, leader of the communist faction, whose motto was, “kill all, burn all, destroy all”, succeeded in creating a communist regime in China due to America’s failure to assist an ally in need. Mainland China was left to Mao and to his murderous and barbarous forces who even outdid Stalin in their mass murders and imprisonments.
In Korea, despite the brilliant leadership and strategy of General Douglas MacArthur, the Korean War ended in a stalemate. Today millions of North Koreans suffer extremely as slaves to the communist North Korean government of Kim Jong-un and his predecessors. Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos fell because our political leaders did not have the political will to defeat communism there.
When there is a conflict in which one side fights a limited war and the opposing side fights an unlimited war, the side fighting the limited war always loses. In World War II the American and British armies followed a traditional military code of conduct during war but, beyond that, it was all-out war until surrender or defeat. Since that time whenever America nears the cusp of victory, we stop fighting which only prolongs the conflict or can even end up in defeat.
There are hundreds, probably thousands of books giving accounts of people who endured and survived communist regimes. For some reason, politicians still do not understand the realities of unresolved conflict with enemies dedicated to our destruction.
Because of these half-won victories or even defeats, the appeasers have allowed our enemies past and present to become well-armed and capable. The cumulative effect of decades of half measures has forced America to face enemies from all corners of the globe who grow increasingly bold in their challenges to American might or weakness due to shortsighted and dangerous cuts in the military budget. These enemies, whether Marxist- or Islam-based, despise the admirable virtues and values of America and Christian civilization.
It is hoped that the great courage and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation and of subsequent generations who have fought so hard, not only for our freedom, but also for the freedom of others, will not be in vain.
Some years ago a retired South Vietnamese Army Colonel, who escaped Vietnam when the communists took over asked, “We came here to flee communism, if the communists come here where else can we go?” On this anniversary of a great victory, let us pray that America wake up to the futility of the politics of appeasement and rally to defeat our enemies.