US Has Digressed Since 'Greatest Generation'

In stark contrast with WWII, now we send troops into battle to win but give them rules of engagement that makes it almost impossible to succeed
by Les Wolfe

Our WWII veterans (the "Greatest Generation") were sent off to war with the goal to win, and that they did. They went off to fight the enemy with the overwhelming majority support of the entire U.S. Congress and the citizens of this country. This was a time when school children, every morning, would sing our national anthem, pledge allegiance to the flag and then sing the anthem of either the Army, the Army Air Corp, the Navy, or the Marine Corp.

In the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor many sacrifices were made for the good of our country and to win the war. It was for certain no congressman/woman or U.S. senator talked about our servicemen the way the leadership in the Democratic Party talks about our combat troops today! We had leadership in the White House and in both parties that were willing to make decisions for the good of the country, to win the war and protect the citizens as a whole.

One of those decisions was to round up the Japanese and put them in internment camps. Many have complained this was a bad thing and unnecessary, I disagree…

They were mostly first generation Japanese, many with close family ties in Japan, where many of them were loyal to the Emperor of Japan. Those loyal to Japan had caches of arms and short wave radios and were standing by to aid the Japanese when and if they invaded the West Coast. Many were loyal to America and volunteered to serve in the armed services and were sent to fight in Europe where their performance was second to none. When we sent our troops into battle during WWII their mission was to win and win they did however, the enemy wore uniforms and carried a flag that represented a country.

Today, we send our troops into battle and tell them their mission is to win, but we give them rules of engagement that makes it almost impossible to succeed. Their enemy is a terrorist organization with no country, no flag, no uniform and with absolutely no rules of engagement other than to kill Americans whether they're in the Middle East or here in the United States (remember 9/11) and they look no different than the civilians the troops are trying to protect.

We need to quit punishing our troops and give them the support from all the leadership of both parties so they can finish the task at hand by fighting terrorists by the same standards they use against us. The leaders should follow the example of the leaders after Pearl Harbor and round up the Arabs put them in camps or send them back where they came from. For there is more of them and they are far more dangerous than the Japanese were. If there is one thing for certain the whole country was behind the war effort during WWII. Proud families displayed flags in their windows with a star for every member of the family in the armed services, and a Gold Star for a loved one lost in action. Our servicemen and women were the pride of this country.

Draft dodgers, deserters and anybody with less than an honorable discharge from the service was a disgrace and they were shamed and they were shunned. A person with a dishonorable discharge found it difficult to get hired and a veteran with an honorable discharge was sent to the front of the line, past military service was always on job applications. After WWII, when draft dodgers were a disgrace, who would have thought we would elect one for president of the United States of America in 1992? Could it be a good number of the teachers K through 12, the college professors, (Ward Churchill comes to mind), bureaucrats in charge of government offices, elected officials, congressmen and women, senators and such, were the ones that demonstrated and took over the administration offices on the college campuses all over the country?

And if they weren't doing that they may have been running naked through the coastal redwood forests or the forests in the Sierra foothills of the gold country growing pot and smoking dope. All the time yelling sex, drugs and rock n roll and "if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." Is this our leadership today? Is this the example being set for the generations to come?

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