To the Journal editor:

As a kid, each Memorial Day I stood next to Dad in the sun, rain and cold with hand placed over my heart. I remember listening to veterans’ names being read-off as the wind weaved through the cemetery’s quaking aspens, as if they were whispering to me. I will again place hand over heart, with my eyes welling up as my Dad, Uncles, and other Veterans’ names are called. I know this resonates with many of you.

Dad didn’t share many World War II experiences, but I learned he landed on Europe’s shore four days after D-Day and fought throughout Europe. One of my five uncles was stationed in England during World War II, ensuring the bomber/fighter planes where in top flying condition and his unit was always present when pilots and crew lifted-off and again when they returned, but some never returned. Both solemnly talked about the bond and responsibility they felt for their brothers-in-arms. My family isn’t special, just Americans called to serve.

My Dad led by example and life’s challenges never seemed to shake him. I never saw him shed a tear until a heart attack landed him in the hospital, where a flood of World War II horrors poured out. One nightmare, his unit liberated a concentration camp where a room of lifeless babies shook him to the core. At that moment in that hospital room, Memorial Day’s meaning and American’s role in making the world a better place became monumentally clear to me. If America and Allies in the 1930s made the commitment to protect human life/liberty instead of appeasing authoritarians, maybe there wouldn’t have been a room of lifeless babies.

World War II and the horrors on humanity prompted renaming “The Department of War” to “The Department of Defense” in 1947. The bipartisan resolution wasn’t to become isolationist, but declare America’s moral principle of defending human life/liberty. America built trust by stating we would not be the aggressor, but not afraid to act if the innocent are threatened. NATO was formed in 1949, a twelve country mutual commitment to standup against any rouge nation’s aggression. In 1991 the nuclear reduction treaty with Soviet Union was signed, negotiations took nine years. I believe the treaty was signed for two reasons, Soviet Union trusted America would never launch first and knew the consequences if they did.

Have we forgotten our commitments? Hindsight is 20/20, but has America appeased Putin after annexing Georgia in 2008, where he killed over 200 and displaced 200,000? He then annexed Crimea and invaded Ukraine? If America and Allies told Putin to stand-down, would 600,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians plus 800 children be alive today? Would we have also spared Russian families’ unbearable sorrow of 1.2 million-plus soldiers being killed? World War II gave us 20/20 vision, it’s on us for misplacing our history readers.

Our non-partisan service men and women obey the directives of elected civilian leadership, full-stop, but their lives are not numbers tallied like a video game score. All armed conflict causalities, outcomes and families impacted are the sole responsibility of the president and Congress who direct and fund our military and you and I are responsible for electing our military’s leadership team.

Our younger generations will soon lead the nation. I pray you become strong independent leaders, deeply care for humanity and grounded in our rich history (good and bad) so lessons learned are not forgotten. Then on each Memorial Day, reflect on our service men and women who sacrificed to protect life, liberty and justice for all. If you do, you will hear them whisper to you.