"We will always be the people who defeated a tyrant, crossed a continent, harnessed science, took to the skies, and soared into the heavens because we will never forget that we are Americans and the future belongs to us.ā€¯
I should also mention my concern at the increasingly exclusive nature of American mythology about World War II, which Trump exemplified.
The war was won by the Allies, of which the US was an important one. But so was the British coalition, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India and so on. And so was the Soviet Union once it found it needed to defend itself.
In the telling of the build-up, for instance, you wouldn't know that US not-my-problem isolationism was a factor: it's always the story of non-American appeasement, which is to say folks hoping to avoid the tragedy of a war until they cannot. A bit more American engagement and a bit less sympathy for Germany would have gone a long way towards avoiding the war in the first place.
And in the telling of the war's early stages, you wouldn't know that the US wasn't a participant for a couple of years; or that others voluntarily confronted the Nazi and Japanese monsters in the cause of freedom in several theatres; or that they held the line in a way that was at least sufficient to make recovery later a possibility, even if we admit that the armies fighting for freedom weren't as ready for war as the dictators, at least to begin with.
And in the telling of US engagement, you might not remember that the US was forced into war - it didn't make its own decision to fight for freedom; it fought because the Japanese and Germans declared war on it.
And in the American telling of D-Day, you wouldn't know that the US, although an important participant, did not provide a majority of the troops battling it out on the first day.
Of course, once it joined, the US made a mighty contribution. It is appreciated by everyone.
But a tale that excludes others is what makes providing a more complete picture necessary. Compare the US role in World War II with that of Canada, say. I'd rather tell their tale. But you never hear them telling it. Their heroic actions make words otiose and claims unnecessary.
It's kinda grotesque for modern Americans to assume the mantle of exclusive heroism in a way that its 'greatest generation' never did. They knew they made a contribution and that others did also. They didn't pretend to act alone. World War II wasn't a movie in which all the lead roles were played by American actors.
If only being part of victory was enough.
Only in the absence of understanding this slice of history and the value of cooperation and mutual respect is Trump possible.
| 