To the Journal editor:

In 1939, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia. The French, British, Australians, and Americans, future allies, did nothing.

Hitler went on to invade Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. France and England declared war on Germany, while the U.S. remained neutral.

Those supporting the political stance of staying out of the war were labeled isolationists.

In March 1941, Congress approved the Lend-Lease Act allowing the U.S. to ship ordnance to countries, primarily England, considered vital to the defense of our nation. The amount made available totaled $13 billion ($282 billion in today’s dollars).

Voting in favor of sending military aid were 235 Democrats and 24 Republicans, overcoming the unwillingness of 25 Democrat and 135 Republican isolationists (Politico Oct 23, 2017 243990).

The political position of neutrality finally ended when the United States declared war on both Germany and Japan in December of 1941. As they say, the rest is history.

In February 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, annexing the Crimean Peninsula. The old allies, NATO, took no action.

Eight years later, Russia renewed its invasion by pushing further into the Ukrainian mainland along its eastern border.

On April 20, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill providing further (overdue) military aid to Ukraine. Three days later, the Senate favorably moved the bill on to the White House for President Biden’s signature.

Of the 535 Congressional legislators, 24%, 127 Republicans and two Democrats, voted no to sending more military aid to Ukraine, including our own First District Rep., Jack Bergman, a Republican.

Former President Trump said that he would allow Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies not maintaining defense spending at 2 percent of their GDP. Both President Bush and President Obama stressed the need for several allied nations to increase defense spending, but never said they would abandon them if they were militarily threatened (ABC News Feb. 20, 107201586).

The Allied Forces in Central Europe (Joint Force Command) had a motto, “In Scelus Exsurgo Sceleris Discrimina Purgo”, which translates (roughly) to “I fight against Aggression and Punish the Aggressor”. Fail in this position, and we just might repeat a very painful lesson in history. We can neither afford the luxury of isolation, nor the carelessness of Trump and his yes men.

In the words of FDR, we are the arsenal of democracy.