As the diminutive vessel sailed through the darkness, the small, brave band on deck strained to catch a glimpse of their new home. While the vast continent emerging before them was virtually devoid of human beings, it was filled to overflowing with the natural blessings of God -- the land brimmed with fresh water, good soil, wildlife, timber, gold, silver, copper, coal, iron ore, oil, and more; indeed, these resources were in such abundance, that today, nearly four hundred years later, America has not nearly exhausted the supply.
These extraordinary gifts, placed at the feet of our pilgrim ancestors by the benevolent hands of a loving God, pale in comparison to His most precious provision -- freedom. While invisible, the eyes aboard the 'Arabella' surely saw it. It was, after all, what they were seeking with their heart -- they, and millions to follow, risked all to live before God in liberty of conscience, thought, word, and deed. Before disembarking upon New England's rocky shore, John Winthrop shared with his friends the vision of his mind's eye:
"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be a story and a byword throughout the world..."
Winthrop's hope was that they, in this new world, would serve as a 'model of Christian charity,' out of which the light of their good deeds might illuminate the earth so that all mankind might see and glorify the Father of heaven. That light, which has streamed through the decades unto us, has fired all men with the brilliance of it's dual spectrums of faith and freedom.
The great experiment our patriarchs envisioned and enacted would ultimately be a beacon -- or a byword. The new nation would serve as a lesson for all future time and places -- the realities and blessings of liberty in the governance of men were either attainable or they were not. The history of the world would suggest the latter to be true; however, no other nation, kingdom, empire, or city-state had as it's foundation a creed, an ideal, not springing forth from the mind of man, but from the very heart of God:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying it's foundation on such principles, and organizing it's powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
From the time of it's approval by the assembled delegates in Philadelphia in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was recognized for it's momentous impact. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams said that the adoption day would be celebrated "with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore. As historian David Ramsey has written, "July fourth was consecrated by Americans to religious gratitude. It is considered by them as the birth day of their freedom." Truly, it is nothing less.
Thomas Jefferson, the father who begat that declaration, that synopsis of the American soul, also stated, in his first inaugural address:
"Equal and exact justice to all...freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of person. These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety."
We have certainly wandered from the road at times and, sadly, we continue to stray onto paths of ignorance, injustice, and covetous isolation. Freedom, like the precious gospel, which sets men spiritually free, must be our constant companion along the way and shared with all we meet. George Santayana noted, of course, that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." More significantly, author Forrest Church has written, "When we forget our history, especially when we forget the principles on which our nation was founded, we are doomed to fail to live up to it. Yes, our forbears often failed to live up to their ideals. That is partly because these ideals were so lofty. The greater our aspirations, the more certain it is that we will fail to live up to them. Such failure has it's own nobility. Our ancestors set the bar high."
Indeed, that bar was shaken and virtually shattered by the pressure imposed upon it by the ungodly burden of American slavery. The man who lifted the burdenous chains from the limbs of four million human beings and from lady liberty herself was Father Abraham. With firm conviction, courageous action, and timeless eloquence, this giant among men championed the cause of freedom like no other. Speaking of his nation's charter document, President-elect Lincoln stood on the steps of Independence Hall in 1861 and spoke of it's meaning and destiny:
The Declaration of Independence, he said, "gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. If it cannot be saved upon that principle, it would be truly awful. I would rather be assassinated on this spot than to surrender it."
In his first state of the Union address, he wrote of how difficult a task lay before his beloved country -- what was required was, tragically, untold deaths and, what he later called a "new birth of freedom."
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. the occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion...Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation...We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save of meanly lose the last, best hope of earth...The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."
Lincoln realized that in order to maintain freedom for ourselves, it must be offered to all. To do less would be to accept a freedom permeated at it's core with the "base alloy of hypocrisy" -- a proposition he, and none of us, should be willing to accept.
One hundred years later, on August 28, 1963, an ancestor of the emancipated stood in the shadow of the nation's temple to the Great Emancipator and spoke of a dream as yet unfulfilled, reminding his generation of work yet to be done:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of "a day when this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed. This will be the day when all God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.' When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of that old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Every generation of Americans must be willing to strive to speed that day, to labor in 'double-time,' so that, out of such a moral drumbeat, the echoing cadence of freedom's march might redound along the corridors of time unto all peoples. We today have been reminded afresh of the paradoxical truth that freedom is both fragile and strong. Fragile when left to itself, taken for granted, and undefended by a sleeping and self-absorbed people. Strong when embraced by all, given to all, and protected by the eternally vigilant. Embodying such strength was the Father whom we have most recently laid to rest, our fortieth president.
Ronald Reagan believed that America was chosen by God for a specific purpose. He spoke often of 'a rendezvous with destiny.' "I believe," he said, "there was a divine plan to place this great continent between the two oceans to be found by people from every corner of the earth. I believe we were preordained to carry the torch of freedom for the world." His soul recognized the same cause, the same commitment, the same clarion call that Winthrop heard, held dear, and heeded. The light that shone forth was liberty's torch -- never to be extinguished or cloaked, but set upon a majestic lamp stand for a world to see and be attracted to. President Reagan, in his farewell address to the nation, spoke of this drawing power in the form of a parable and a parting.
The story involves not the small ship which sailed through our opening lines, but the massive United States Naval carrier "Midway," churning through the South China Sea in the mid-1980's. A sailor aboard, on watch, spotted on the horizon a tiny, leaky boat crammed with refugees from Indochina, hoping to get to America. A launch was sent to retrieve them and, as the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck and called out, "Hello American sailor, Hello Freedom Man. A small moment with a big meaning," a moment the sailor, and president, wouldn't forget -- Our children stood again, as always, for freedom. How subsequent generation live the creed, standing for freedom, matters much. In the balance is not only America's future, but the destiny of the world.
The address concluded with a look back to that early freedom man and a look to the vision of that city upon a hill.
"I've spoken of a shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans - windswept, God blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? After two hundred years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady, no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places, who are hurtling in the darkness toward home."
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Toward Home
Toward Home
As the diminuative vessel sailed through the darkness, the small, brave band on deck strained to catch a glimpse of their new home. While the vast continent emerging before them was virtually devoid of human beings, it was filled to overflowing with the natural blessings of God -- the land brimmed with fresh water, good soil, wildlife, timber, gold, silver, copper, coal, iron ore, oil, and more; indeed, these resources were in such abundance, that today, nearly four hundred years later, America has not nearly exhausted the supply.
These extraordinary gifts, placed at the feet of our pilgrim ancestors by the benevolent hands of a loving God, pale in comparison to His most precious provision -- freedom. While invisible, the eyes aboard the 'Arabella' surely saw it. It was, after all, what they were seeking with their heart -- they, and millions to follow, risked all to live before God in liberty of conscience, thought, word, and deed. Before disembarking upon New England's rocky shore, John Winthrop shared with his friends the vision of his mind's eye:
"For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be a story and a byword throughout the world..."
Winthrop's hope was that they, in this new world, would serve as a 'model of Christian charity,' out of which the light of their good deeds might illuminate the earth so that all mankind might see and glorify the Father of heaven. That light, which has streamed through the decades unto us, has fired all men with the brilliance of it's dual spectrums of faith and freedom.
The great experiment our patriarchs envisioned and enacted would ultimately be a beacon -- or a byword. The new nation would serve as a lesson for all future time and places -- the realities and blessings of liberty in the governance of men were either attainable or they were not. The history of the world would suggest the latter to be true; however, no other nation, kingdom, empire, or city-state had as it's foundation a creed, an ideal, not springing forth from the mind of man, but from the very heart of God:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying it's foundation on such principles, and organizing it's powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
From the time of it's approval by the assembled delegates in Philadelphia in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was recognized for it's momentous impact. In a letter to his wife, Abigail, John Adams said that the adoption day would be celebrated "with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time foreward forevermore. As historian David Ramsey has written, "July fourth was consecrated by Americans to religious gratitude. It is considered by them as the birth day of their freedom." Truly, it is nothing less.
Thomas Jefferson, the father who begat that declaration, that synopsis of the American soul, also stated, in his first inaugural address:
"Equal and exact justice to all...freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of person. These principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. The wisdom of our sages and the blood of our heroes have been devoted to their attainment. They should be the creed of our political faith, the text of civil instruction, the touchstone by which to try the services of those we trust; and should we wander from them in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety."
We have certainly wandered from the road at times and, sadly, we continue to stray onto paths of ignorance, injustice, and covetous isolation. Freedom, like the precious gospel, which sets men spiritually free, must be our constant companion along the way and shared with all we meet. George Santayana noted, of course, that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." More significantly, author Forrest Church has written, "When we forget our history, especially when we forget the principles on which our nation was founded, we are doomed to fail to live up to it. Yes, our forbears often failed to live up to their ideals. That is partly because these ideals were so lofty. The greater our aspirations, the more certain it is that we will fail to live up to them. Such failure has it's own nobility. Our ancestors set the bar high."
Indeed, that bar was shaken and virtually shattered by the pressure imposed upon it by the ungodly burden of American slavery. The man who lifted the burdenous chains from the limbs of four million human beings and from lady liberty herself was Father Abraham. With firm conviction, courageous action, and timeless eloquence, this giant among men championed the cause of freedom like no other. Speaking of his nation's charter document, President-elect Lincoln stood on the steps of Independence Hall in 1861 and spoke of it's meaning and destiny:
The Declaration of Independence, he said, "gave liberty not alone to the people of this country, but hope to all the world for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. If it cannot be saved upon that principle, it would be truly awful. I would rather be assassinated on this spot than to surrender it."
In his first state of the Union address, he wrote of how difficult a task lay before his beloved country -- what was required was, tragically, untold deaths and, what he later called a "new birth of freedom."
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. the occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion...Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation...We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save of meanly lose the last, best hope of earth...The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just -- a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."
Lincoln realized that in order to maintain freedom for ourselves, it must be offered to all. To do less would be to accept a freedom permeated at it's core with the "base alloy of hypocracy" -- a proposition he, and none of us, should be willing to accept.
One hundred years later, on August 28, 1963, an ancestor of the emancipated stood in the shadow of the nation's temple to the Great Emancipator and spoke of a dream as yet unfulfilled, reminding his generation of work yet to be done:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of "a day when this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it's creed. This will be the day when all God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, 'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.' When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of that old Negro spiritual, 'Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Every generation of Americans must be willing to strive to speed that day, to labor in 'double-time,' so that, out of such a moral drumbeat, the echoing cadence of freedom's march might redound along the corridors of time unto all peoples. We today have been reminded afresh of the paradoxical truth that freedom is both fragile and strong. Fragile when left to itself, taken for granted, and undefended by a sleeping and self-absorbed people. Strong when embraced by all, given to all, and protected by the eternally vigilant. Embodying such strength was the Father whom we have most recently laid to rest, our fourtieth president.
Ronald Reagan believed that America was chosen by God for a specific purpose. He spoke often of 'a rendevous with destiny.' "I believe," he said, "there was a divine plan to place this great continent between the two oceans to be found by people from every corner of the earth. I believe we were preordained to carry the torch of freedom for the world." His soul recognized the same cause, the same commitment, the same clarion call that Winthrop heard, held dear, and heeded. The light that shone forth was liberty's torch -- never to be extinquisehed or cloaked, but set upon a majestic lampstand for a world to see and be attracted to. President Reagan, in his farewell address to the nation, spoke of this drawing power in the form of a parable and a parting.
The story involves not the small ship which sailed through our opening lines, but the massive United States Naval carrier "Midway," churning through the South China Sea in the mid-1980's. A sailor aboard, on watch, spotted on the horizon a tiny, leaky boat crammed with refugees from Indochina, hoping to get to America. A launch was sent to retrieve them and, as the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck and called out, "Hello American sailor, Hello Freedom Man. A small moment with a big meaning," a moment the sailor, and president, wouldn't forget -- Our children stood again, as always, for freedom. How subsequent generation live the creed, standing for freedom, matters much. In the balance is not only America's future, but the destiny of the world.
The address concluded with a look back to that early freedom man and a look to the vision of that city upon a hill.
"I've spoken of a shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans - windswept, God blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? After two hundred years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady, no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places, who are hurtling in the darkness toward home."
Thursday, May 21, 2009
For the Boys...
For the Boys…
It began as Decoration Day, a day set aside and remembered as a day of respect, thanksgiving, and longing for the boys who never came home. Ladies of the South, then the North, adorned the graves of the gray and the blue with waving flag, fragrant flower, and heartfelt tears.
The occasion was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers by proclamation of General John A. Logan. By the late 1880’s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate what was by then called Memorial Day. After World War I, observances began to honor those who died in all American wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be held annually on the last Monday in May.
It is deeply saddening that in our time, the significance of the day has largely been lost. An attitude of reverence has been replaced by a search for revelry and relaxation. Cookouts, parties, trips, games, and naps are the preferred plans for the day – most take no time to walk silently among the sodden beds of our sleeping heroes. It is true that a few still bend the knee, to lay a flower and read a name, but the lack of pilgrims to such hallowed ground seems a shame. Every living American, man, woman, boy and girl should come to walk, pause, and pray – to remember.
It is a fact that almost four hundred years ago, settlers came to the shores of this continent in search of freedom and opportunity. They risked all that they had, all they hoped to be, and their very lives to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and for all of us who have followed. From it’s first, and through every, budding spring, America has had its freedom soil furrowed with the plow of suffering and planted with seeds of sacrifice. Nourished and watered by the blood and tears of the fallen, the vines of liberty have broken through and spread – not simply across this God-kissed land, but around the world, entwining all they reach in freedom’s sure embrace.
It is interesting to note that Memorial Day was conceived and birthed due to a miscarriage – a miscarriage of justice. The institution, acceptance, and tolerance of American slavery came, by March 1865, to be understood to be the root cause for the war and hence, the graves those adorning angels came to decorate. Indeed, this iniquity-in-chains required two hundred fifty years to break from the body politic and another century to release in spirit. The national sin of the nineteenth century made a mockery of our father’s freedom dream and created a fissure in the foundation, which divided the family and almost caused the house to fall. In the midst of the destructive whirlwind of war, we were reminded by our Captain of the challenges and choices to be made and the course to champion:
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion… Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves… The fiery trial though which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation… We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last, best hope of earth… The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just – a way which, if followed, the world must forever applaud and God must forever bless.”
Truly, the great ship ‘America’ has steered her course along that way, through the calm and the storm. She has, almost without exception, left behind in every port the most prized possession on her manifest – a destiny of hope and lives lived in freedom’s wake. Every American generation has looked back, awestruck, at that wake, out from which ripples waves of justice, equality, opportunity – love, mercy, compassion – life, liberty, happiness. Ironically, from that backward glance is derived the moral clarity to see forward beyond our human horizons to the Almighty’s invisible purposes. From reflection to revelation, we remember and realize the value of our past and the vision of possibilities to come.
What a legacy! What a cost – in blood, toil, treasure, and lives! Has it been, is it, worth it? Indeed, it has! Indeed, it is! Despite her many sins and shortcomings, America still inspires the world through the two-fold truth that she is the land of the free because she is home to the brave. Lady liberty still stands on the edge of this great land, shining her light of hope upon all those choked by oppression yet yearning to breathe free.
On this day, especially, we are reminded of how much so many, we all, owe to so few. On this day, as always, defenders of freedom stand in harm’s way, ever ready to place themselves between freedom and her foes. On this day, humbly, as they stand and fight for us, we fall in thanks and supplication; as they fall, we stand and fight for them, that their lives might always be enshrined in honor and their memories might always be cherished. We must never forget them.
The feelings of gratitude, wonder, and love we have for those who served, suffered, sacrifice, and died, that we might live every day in freedom, has been expressed most eloquently for us by the one who loved and appreciated them most:
To Mrs. Lydia Bixby Executive Mansion November 21, 1864
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the war Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
All of us, as members of the American family, surely echo the ponderings and prose of our gentle patriarch and, with him, reach out loving and longing arms to embrace forever, the boys who never came home.
It began as Decoration Day, a day set aside and remembered as a day of respect, thanksgiving, and longing for the boys who never came home. Ladies of the South, then the North, adorned the graves of the gray and the blue with waving flag, fragrant flower, and heartfelt tears.
The occasion was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers by proclamation of General John A. Logan. By the late 1880’s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate what was by then called Memorial Day. After World War I, observances began to honor those who died in all American wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be held annually on the last Monday in May.
It is deeply saddening that in our time, the significance of the day has largely been lost. An attitude of reverence has been replaced by a search for revelry and relaxation. Cookouts, parties, trips, games, and naps are the preferred plans for the day – most take no time to walk silently among the sodden beds of our sleeping heroes. It is true that a few still bend the knee, to lay a flower and read a name, but the lack of pilgrims to such hallowed ground seems a shame. Every living American, man, woman, boy and girl should come to walk, pause, and pray – to remember.
It is a fact that almost four hundred years ago, settlers came to the shores of this continent in search of freedom and opportunity. They risked all that they had, all they hoped to be, and their very lives to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and for all of us who have followed. From it’s first, and through every, budding spring, America has had its freedom soil furrowed with the plow of suffering and planted with seeds of sacrifice. Nourished and watered by the blood and tears of the fallen, the vines of liberty have broken through and spread – not simply across this God-kissed land, but around the world, entwining all they reach in freedom’s sure embrace.
It is interesting to note that Memorial Day was conceived and birthed due to a miscarriage – a miscarriage of justice. The institution, acceptance, and tolerance of American slavery came, by March 1865, to be understood to be the root cause for the war and hence, the graves those adorning angels came to decorate. Indeed, this iniquity-in-chains required two hundred fifty years to break from the body politic and another century to release in spirit. The national sin of the nineteenth century made a mockery of our father’s freedom dream and created a fissure in the foundation, which divided the family and almost caused the house to fall. In the midst of the destructive whirlwind of war, we were reminded by our Captain of the challenges and choices to be made and the course to champion:
“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion… Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves… The fiery trial though which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation… We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last, best hope of earth… The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just – a way which, if followed, the world must forever applaud and God must forever bless.”
Truly, the great ship ‘America’ has steered her course along that way, through the calm and the storm. She has, almost without exception, left behind in every port the most prized possession on her manifest – a destiny of hope and lives lived in freedom’s wake. Every American generation has looked back, awestruck, at that wake, out from which ripples waves of justice, equality, opportunity – love, mercy, compassion – life, liberty, happiness. Ironically, from that backward glance is derived the moral clarity to see forward beyond our human horizons to the Almighty’s invisible purposes. From reflection to revelation, we remember and realize the value of our past and the vision of possibilities to come.
What a legacy! What a cost – in blood, toil, treasure, and lives! Has it been, is it, worth it? Indeed, it has! Indeed, it is! Despite her many sins and shortcomings, America still inspires the world through the two-fold truth that she is the land of the free because she is home to the brave. Lady liberty still stands on the edge of this great land, shining her light of hope upon all those choked by oppression yet yearning to breathe free.
On this day, especially, we are reminded of how much so many, we all, owe to so few. On this day, as always, defenders of freedom stand in harm’s way, ever ready to place themselves between freedom and her foes. On this day, humbly, as they stand and fight for us, we fall in thanks and supplication; as they fall, we stand and fight for them, that their lives might always be enshrined in honor and their memories might always be cherished. We must never forget them.
The feelings of gratitude, wonder, and love we have for those who served, suffered, sacrifice, and died, that we might live every day in freedom, has been expressed most eloquently for us by the one who loved and appreciated them most:
To Mrs. Lydia Bixby Executive Mansion November 21, 1864
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the war Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
All of us, as members of the American family, surely echo the ponderings and prose of our gentle patriarch and, with him, reach out loving and longing arms to embrace forever, the boys who never came home.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Final Study Guide
Timeline of World War II
November 11, 1918 -- World War I ends with the surrender of Germany and Austria-Hungary to the Allied Powers
June 28, 1919 -- The Treaty of Versailles formalizes the surrender, imposing harsh punishments on Germany
1923 -- Germany is devastated by economic problems, which leads to political problems and the weakening of the democratic Weimar Republic
Nov 9, 1923 - Hitler and other Nazis attempt to overthrow the government by violence. The “Beer Hall Putsch” as it is called ends in failure as police break up the attempt. Hitler avoids injury and escapes, but is later put on trial and sentenced to a short prison stay in Landsberg Prison. It is here that he writes his book Mein Kampf, or “My Struggle.”
Oct 29, 1929 -- The stock market crash in the US sets off worldwide depression, weakening other democracies and paving the way for the rise of dictatorships and militarism in Europe and Asia
Sept 19, 1931 -- Japan invades Manchuria, China
March 13, 1932 -- Adolf Hitler runs second in the German presidential election to WW I war hero Paul von Hindenburg
May 15, 1932 -- Japan’s prime minister is assassinated and military leaders begin to dominate the government
July 31, 1932 -- The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) wins 230 seats in the German legislature (called the Reichstag), becoming the majority party in Germany
Nov 8, 1932 -- Franklin D Roosevelt is elected POTUS for the first of four times
January 30, 1933 -- Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany - other politicians believe they can control him and use him to further their purposes
Feb 17, 1933 -- The Reichstag building in Berlin is damaged by fire. The Nazis blame the fire on Communists and demand Hitler be given unlimited power to put down rebellion
March 23, 1933 -- the Reichstag grants Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers over Germany
March 27, 1933 -- Japan withdraws from the League of Nations (forerunner to the United Nations) after it is criticized for it’s actions in invading China
July 14, 1933 -- All political parties other than the Nazis are outlawed in Germany
Oct 14, 1933 -- Germany withdraws from the League of Nations
June 30, 1934 -- Hitler orders the arrest and murder of many top leaders in his storm trooper unit the SA. This group has protected Hitler for 10 years, but Hitler removes it’s leaders from being a threat to the German army or to himself. This event is called “The Night of Long Knives.”
Aug 2, 1934 -- German President von Hindenburg dies and Hitler assumes the office of president also -- Hitler know holds complete power in Germany
Aug 15, 1935 -- The Nazis ban marriages between Germans and Jews
Sept 15, 1935 -- The Nuremberg Laws strip Jews of most of their rights as German citizens
March 7, 1936 -- German troops occupy the Rhineland region of Germany -- they had been forbidden to do this by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler ignores this and no country moves to stop the action
Aug 1, 1936 -- The Olympic Games begin in Berlin with Adolf Hitler in attendance. The games become a showcase of Germany and Nazi rule to the world. The Nazis remain on their best behavior during the games. All signs of discrimination against Jews are covered up.
Oct 25, 1936 -- Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini form the Rome-Berlin alliance
Nov 25, 1936 -- Germany and Japan pledge to support one another should Russia attack either one
Nov 12, 1937 -- Japanese troops attack and capture Shanghai
Nov 20, 1937 -- A new Chinese capital is set up in Chungking by Chiang Kai-shek
Dec 11, 1917 -- Italy leaves the League of Nations
Dec 13, 1937 -- Japanese troops capture Nanking, the former capital, and begin the terrible slaughter of over 250,000 Chinese civilians. This event is known as “The Rape of Nanking”
March 13, 1938 -- German troops occupy Austria and annex it into Greater Germany. This is known as the “Anschluss” or union.
Sept 29, 1938 -- The Munich Conference is held - Leaders of Britain and France continue a policy of appeasement (giving in to demands and threats) toward Hitler and allow the German speaking regions (Sudetenland) of Czechoslovakia to be absorbed into Greater Germany also. British prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares that Hitler is a man who can be dealt with and that the conference has achieved “peace in our time.”
Nov 3, 1938 -- Japan proclaims full domination and control of the western pacific and all of Southeast Asia
Nov 9, 1938 -- Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass occurs in Germany. Nazis destroy and damage hundreds of Jewish businesses and places of worship across Germany. This type of violence is known as a “pogrom.”
March 10, 1939 -- The rest of Czechoslovakia is occupied by German troops and that nation becomes part of Greater Germany also.
Aug 23, 1939 -- the world is stunned when Germany and Russia sign a non-aggression pact, agreeing not to attack one another. It is agreed that Poland will be divided between them
Sept 1, 1939 -- World War II begins as German forces invade Poland. Hitler claims that the Poles have attacked first to justify this land grab
Sept 3, 1939 -- Britain and France declare war on Germany
Sept 5, 1939 -- The US, desiring to stay out of the conflict if possible, declares it’s neutrality at this time
Sept 17, 1939 -- Russian troops invade Poland from the east to grab land in order to create a buffer between itself and Germany in the east
Sept 27, 1939 -- Warsaw, the capital of Poland, falls to the Germans
Nov 30, 1939 -- to create a buffer between itself and Germany in the north, Russia invades Finland
April 9, 1940 -- German troops invade Norway and Denmark
May 10, 1940 -- German troops invade France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. In Britain, Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister
May 26, 1940 -- Hundreds of boats of all kinds help to rescue the British army from certain destruction at Dunkirk, France. More than 300,000 British and French soldiers are saved and live to fight another day
June 10, 1940 -- Italy declares war on Britain and France
June 14, 1940 -- German forces take and occupy Paris -- the city will be under Germany occupation for 4 years
June 22, 1940 -- France is defeated in one month by German forces. The French, humiliated, are forced to surrender and sign the document at Compiegne, France in the same place and railroad car that the Germans surrendered in at the end of WW I
July 10, 1940 -- The Battle of Britain between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe begins. The outcome will determine the fate of Britain and perhaps all of Europe
Aug 23, 1940 -- The bombing of British cities and civilians begins. By switching from bombing military targets to trying to break the will of the British people, the Germans make a major mistake and fail to defeat the British nation
Sept 17, 1940 -- Hitler states that Britain is basically defeated, postpones the invasion of Britain and turns his attention to the invasion of Russia (Soviet Union)
Sept 27, 1940 -- Germany, Italy, and Japan sign a pact agreeing to help one another if attacked
Oct 28, 1940 -- Italy invades Greece
Dec 29, 1940 -- FDR declares that the United States must become “an arsenal for democracy.” The US begins massive arms production
March 11, 1941 -- The US Congress approves the Lend-Lease Act. This act allowed the US to send arms to Britain even though the Us remained technically neutral.
Apr. 6, 1941 -- Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece to help Italy’s failing troop efforts
June 22, 1941 -- Hitler breaks his non-aggression agreement with the Soviet Union and attacks that nation. This is called Operation Barbarossa
Aug 20, 1941 -- German forces reach, surround, and lay siege to the Russian city of Leningrad. This siege will last over 900 days (2 ½ years) and cost Russia over 1 million lives
Sept 28, 1941 -- Germans massacre 33,000 Russian Jews at Babi Yar near the city of Kiev in the Ukraine. They are later discovered in mass graves.
Oct 16, 1941 -- General Hideki Tojo is made prime minister of Japan. Elements of the Japanese military control the government in large measure. These militants believe Japan deserves to rule throughout the Pacific because of it’s racial and cultural superiority and resents involvement in their sphere of power and influence by Americans and other Western powers. They act upon these beliefs and in their devotion to Bushido, or “way of the warrior.” This ancient Japanese code states that warriors will fight to the death to protect their homeland, the land of the rising sun. The code states that to surrender to the enemy is to humiliate and disgrace oneself - it is better to die than surrender. This belief will impact how the Japanese fight and how they treat any enemies that surrender to them. Anyone who surrenders is not worthy to live or to be treated with dignity or respect.
Dec 7, 1941 -- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and many areas in the Pacific before declaring war. The US Pacific Fleet is greatly damaged at Pearl as 350 planes attack over a period of two hours. 2,403 Americans are killed. America is at war
Dec 8, 1941 -- The US and Britain declare war on Japan
Dec 11, 1941 -- Germany and Italy declare war on the US and the US follows by declaring war on them
Dec 23, 1941 -- The Japanese capture Wake Island, a US controlled Pacific outpost. A small number of US Marines holds out for several weeks before surrendering
Dec 25, 1941 -- The British colony of Hong Kong falls to Japanese forces
Feb 15, 1942 -- The Japanese capture Singapore and force 130,000 British troops to surrender
Feb 22 , 1942 - members of the White Rose, a resistance group in Germany, are arrested, interrogated, tried, and executed. Among them are brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl. Later in the war, their leaflets of protest against Hitler are air dropped by Allied planes all over Germany
Feb 27, 1942 -- Japanese naval forces rout US forces at the Battle of the Java Sea
March 11, 1942 -- US General Douglas MacArthur is ordered to leave the Philippines as Japanese forces close in. MacArthur escapes to Australia and vows “I shall return.”
April 10, 1942 -- The Bataan Death March begins as over 70,000 US and Philippine forces surrender - it is the largest surrender in US military history. The brutal march to Japanese prison camps covers over 60 miles and leaves thousands dead - many are tortured and brutalized along the way. For most, this is the beginning of 3 years of brutal treatment
April 18, 1942 -- A small group of US bombers take off from the USS Hornet led by Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and attack Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese people have been told the gods will protect the homeland from harm - The raid proves this false and gives a huge morale boost to Americans back home. Doolittle’s Raiders crash land and parachute into occupied China and many make it to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and foreign missionaries. Japan retaliates against China for this, killing over 250,000 civilians in these areas.
May 7-8, 1942 -- US and Japanese naval forces fight to a draw in the Battle of the Coral Sea
June 4, 1942 -- US and Japanese forces fight the Battle of Midway in the Pacific. Effective intelligence and incredible bravery from US pilots win the day. Am entire torpedo squadron from the USS Enterprise are shot down, but other groups attack just in time, destroying four Japanese carriers. (All of these carriers had taken part in the raid on Pearl Harbor). Ensign George Gay, the only survivor from Torpedo Squadron 8, watched as he floated in the Pacific as the Japanese carriers were destroyed! He was rescued. Four Japanese aircraft carriers are destroyed. Never again will Japanese forces be on the offensive - it is the turning point of the war in the Pacific
Aug 7, 1942 -- US troops land on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It is the first land operation against the Japanese. After many months of intense land and naval fighting, US forces prevail and the Japanese withdraw from the island.
Nov 8, 1942 -- US troops land in North Africa and begin fighting against German forces, the famed Afrika Corps under Gen. Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) . US forces are initially defeated at Kasserine Pass, but quickly regroup under the command of General George Patton
Feb 2, 1943 -- German forces surrender after being surrounded by Russian forces at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. This ends the greatest battle of World War II, an epic struggle which ends in German defeat because Hitler had forbidden any retreat by his forces. This marks the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front in Europe.
April 18, 1943 -- US fighters shoot down the airplane carrying Japanese naval commander Isoroku Yamamoto, the planner of the Pearl Harbor attack.
April 19, 1943 -- The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins as the remaining Jews begin a fight to the death with German forces. The Ghetto is ultimately destroyed - virtually all 350,000 Jews in Warsaw at the start of the war are gone.
May 13, 1943 -- German troops in North Africa surrender to British and American forces. Allied forces now have a staging area to invade Italy.
July 5, `1943 -- The Battle of Kursk (Soviet Union) begins. It is the largest tank battle in history and ultimately won by Soviet troops over the Germans.
July 9, 1943 -- Allied forces invade the island of Sicily just south of the mainland of Italy
Aug 1, 1943 -- US bombers attack the oil refineries under German control at Ploesti, Romania. The attacks continue for months - 54 planes are lost and over 500 airmen are killed. (Mr. Norm’s uncle takes part in the attacks on Ploesti as a navigator on a B-24 bomber.)
Sept 8, 1943 -- After Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is removed from office and killed, Italy surrenders to Allied forces and is out of the war. German forces still occupy Italy. Us forces soon attack the mainland and engage German forces in fierce fighting that will last until the end of the war
Nov 1, 1943 -- US forces land on Bougainville in the Pacific and eventually capture that island.
Nov 20, 1943 -- US Marines capture the island of Tarawa after intense fighting in the Gilbert Islands. The US public sees US war dead from Tarawa - this is the first time this is allowed by government officials
June 4, 1944 -- Rome becomes the first Axis capital to fall to Allied troops
June 6, 1944 -- Allies storm the beaches of Normandy France, creating a western front of attack against German forces in Europe. Operation Overlord, forever known simply as D-Day, commanded by US General Dwight Eisenhower, is successful. It is still the largest amphibious invasion in military history and marked the turning point of the war on the western front in Europe. The deadliest of all the beaches was Omaha Beach - The US Army’s 1st and 29th Divisions attack in the first wave and are decimated, but through extraordinary bravery, small units attack inland and breach Hitler’s defenses. Later, US general Omar Bradley said, “Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944 was a hero. Over 10,000 American heroes rest in the US cemetery above the cliffs - 10,000 boys who never came home - who gave all of their tomorrows that we might live every day in freedom. On a monument in the middle of them all these words are inscribed - may they be inscribed on our hearts forever as grateful Americans. “Think not only upon their passing…remember the glory of their spirit.” wow… June 6, 1944 may have been the most important day of the 20th century
June 15, 1944 -- US troops land on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, capturing the island in one month. It is on Saipan that our friend Mr. Bill walked through his valley of death….
June 19, 1944 -- The US Navy wins the Battle of the Philippine Sea -- over 400 Japanese planes are shot down, forever crippling the Japanese air forces. It is called the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.”
July 20, 1944 -- Hitler barely escapes an assassination attempt at his military headquarters on the eastern front. The bomb detonates, but Hitler is only wounded. In retaliation, hundreds of military officers and civilians accused in the plot are murdered. Hitler orders the executions taped and watches them over and over again with great satisfaction.
July 21, 1944 -- US troops land on the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands
July 25, 1944 -- US troops break out of the villages and hedgerow country of Normandy and begin their race across France toward the German border. In the process, hundreds of towns and villages are liberated from four years of German occupation. In this campaign toward Germany, General George Patton’s U.S. Third Army gains more ground, captures more prisoners, and kills more of the enemy than any army in the history of the United States.
Aug 25, 1944 -- Paris is liberated. After four years, the City of Lights is free
Sept 15, 1944 -- American forces land on the island of Peleliu and secure it after one month of intense fighting in over 100 degree heat in which virtually all Japanese forces fight to the death.
Oct 20, 1944 -- Gen. Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise and returns to the Philippine Islands.
Oct 25, 1944 -- Japanese naval power is virtually destroyed at the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Philippines), the largest naval battle in history.
Nov 24, 1944 -- US bombers begin a massive bombardment of Tokyo and eventually all of Japan that will last until the end of the war.
Dec 16, 1944 -- Hitler launches his last great offensive in western Europe, hitting US forces through the Ardennes forest on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. After initial success, German forces are stopped and defeated as they fail to break through - US forces bend into a pocket or bulge, but hold. The “Battle of the Bulge” is still the largest battle in the history of the US Army.
Dec 26, 1944 -- Elements of the US 101st Airborne are relieved by elements of Patton’s Third Army at the critical crossroads town of Bastogne, Belgium. The 101st has been surrounded for days against overwhelming German forces but hold in desperate fighting and deep snow
Jan 12, 1945 -- Russian forces begin their offensive toward Germany as they cross the Vistula River into Poland.
Jan 26, 1945 -- Russian forces liberate Auschwitz in Poland. The world begins to truly learn the scope of Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question. It is determined over time that the Nazis have murdered 6 million European Jews. After the war, it is out of the horror and ashes of such evil that the modern state of Israel is born.
Feb 19, 1945 -- US Marines land on Iwo Jima - the island is taken after 36 days of intense fighting. Over 6,000 Marines are killed and over 25,000 are wounded in the greatest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. Virtually all of the 22,000 Japanese fighters IN the island are killed. The island is then used as a base for damaged B-29 bombers returning from bombing runs over Japan. It is estimated almost 30,000 airmen are saved from ditching in the Pacific Ocean as a result of taking Iwo.
Feb. 23, 1945 - Two flags are raised on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Over 30 days of fighting are left, but the moment inspires great joy and pride in all who saw it. Photographer Joe Rosenthal snaps the photo quickly, not even seeing it before it is sent back by ship for development - the photo appears in US newspapers on Feb 25 and the nation is captivated by the photo -- 64 years later, it still captivates - it is the most reproduced photograph in the history of photography. 5 Marines and 1 Navy Corpman (medic) raised the second flag: Mike Strank (KIA), Harlon Block (KIA), Franklin Sousley (KIA), Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and John Bradley
March 7, 1945 -- US forces cross the Rhine River into Germany at Remagen and capture their first German city (Cologne)
March 9, 1945 -- A raid on Tokyo by US bombers kills between 80,000-100,000 Japanese. Massive B-29 Superfortress bombers drop incendiary bombs that destroy a large part of the city, leaving over a million homeless
April 1, 1945 -- US forces land on Okinawa on Easter Sunday. Only 300 miles from Japan, Okinawa is the last main target before the invasion of the Japanese homeland. After almost three months of fierce fighting and kamikaze attacks the island is secured. The US suffers over 50,000 casualties (over 12,000 killed) - over 100,000 Japanese are killed
April 1, 1945 -- US forces capture over 300,000 German forces in western Germany. German resistance is falling apart.
April11, 1945 -- Eighty miles from Berlin, US forces are ordered to halt their offensive at the Elbe River - a political agreement will allow the Soviets to take Berlin form the east.
April 12, 1945 -- FDR dies of a brain hemorrhage at Warm Springs, Ga. Vice-President Harry Truman takes the oath of office.
April 16, 1945 -- Russian forces begin their final massive offensive against Berlin with three armies.
April 20, 1945 -- Adolf Hitler turns 56 years old. He will live for 10 more days.
April 29, 1945 -- US forces liberate the Dachau concentration camp. When another camp, Oldendorf, is liberated, Eisenhower and Patton visit the site and are visibly shaken by what they see. The great warrior Patton excuses himself and goes behind a building and is seen shaking, physically sickened by the horrors he witnessed.
April 30, 1945 -- Hitler and wife Eva Braun commit suicide in his bunker in Berlin
May 7, 1945 -- All German forces surrender unconditionally to the Allies.
May 8, 1945 -- V-E Day (Victory in Europe)
July 16, 1945 -- The US successfully tests the world’s first atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico
Aug 6, 1945 -- After issuing warnings, The US drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Over 70,000 are killed immediately and 70,000 die later of radiation poisoning. Over 90 % of all buildings in the city are destroyed.
Aug 9, 1945 -- The second atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki. Over 40,000 are killed immediately.
Aug 14, 1945 -- Japanese Emperor Hirohito announces that Japan must “accept the unacceptable.” He never mentions the word surrender. It is the first time the people of Japan hear his voice.
Aug 15,1945 -- V-J Day (Victory in Japan)
Sept 2, 1945 -- Japan signs the surrender document aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay
Leaders of World War II
Franklin D. Roosevelt - POTUS 1932 - 1945 -- guided US through depression and war, dying just before the war’s end (April 12, 1945) Only POTUS to be elected to more than two terms - he was elected POTUS four times, 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944.
Harry S. Truman - POTUS 1945 - 1952 -- made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan, which ended the war, preventing the need for a massive invasion of Japan. Guided the US through the first years of the Cold War, sending US troops to Korea in 1950 to stop the Communist invasion of South Korea
Winston Churchill - Prime Minister of Great Britain 1940-1945 -- led Great Britain with great courage and inspiring words - he warned the world about Hitler and the Nazis in the 1930’s, but his warnings were ignored. Voted the greatest figure of the first half of the 20th century.
Adolf Hitler - absolute dictator of Nazi Germany 1933-1945. Plunged the world into a war of total annihilation - over 60 million died, including 6 million Jews systematically murdered. Committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin April 30, 1945.
Benito Mussolini - dictator of Italy - 1922 -1943 -- first dictator to rise to power in Europe, Mussolini allied with Hitler in his quest for power. He was murdered by Italian citizens after American and British forces gained control in Italy in 1943.
Emperor Hirohito - emperor of Japan - considered a “son of heaven”, a god, by the Japanese. Hirohito was controlled by military leaders who pushed Japan into a policy of conquest and racial superiority. At the end of the war, Hirohito finally broke the deadlock regarding surrender and spoke to the Japanese people, announcing the war’s end - it was the first time Japanese had heard the voice of their emperor.
Joseph Stalin - supreme leader of the USSR - Stalin allied with Hitler at first, signing a non-aggression pact in 1938. The pact was a ploy by Hitler to but time so that he could build up his military and take land in the west before attacking the hated Russian Communists in the east. Hitler broke that pact and attacked the USSR in June 1941 in a campaign called Operation Barbarossa - Stalin, after stopping Hitler’s forces and pushing back toward Berlin, was determined to hold ground captured by Russian forces in Europe and did so after the war -- this marked the beginning of the Cold War conflict between the US and the USSR from 1946-1989. Stalin’s brutal reign ultimately resulted in the deaths of up to 100 million of his own citizens as the Communists took absolute control.
youtube site on the National Museum of the Marine Corp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGZtiKNNNmA&feature=related
November 11, 1918 -- World War I ends with the surrender of Germany and Austria-Hungary to the Allied Powers
June 28, 1919 -- The Treaty of Versailles formalizes the surrender, imposing harsh punishments on Germany
1923 -- Germany is devastated by economic problems, which leads to political problems and the weakening of the democratic Weimar Republic
Nov 9, 1923 - Hitler and other Nazis attempt to overthrow the government by violence. The “Beer Hall Putsch” as it is called ends in failure as police break up the attempt. Hitler avoids injury and escapes, but is later put on trial and sentenced to a short prison stay in Landsberg Prison. It is here that he writes his book Mein Kampf, or “My Struggle.”
Oct 29, 1929 -- The stock market crash in the US sets off worldwide depression, weakening other democracies and paving the way for the rise of dictatorships and militarism in Europe and Asia
Sept 19, 1931 -- Japan invades Manchuria, China
March 13, 1932 -- Adolf Hitler runs second in the German presidential election to WW I war hero Paul von Hindenburg
May 15, 1932 -- Japan’s prime minister is assassinated and military leaders begin to dominate the government
July 31, 1932 -- The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nazis) wins 230 seats in the German legislature (called the Reichstag), becoming the majority party in Germany
Nov 8, 1932 -- Franklin D Roosevelt is elected POTUS for the first of four times
January 30, 1933 -- Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany - other politicians believe they can control him and use him to further their purposes
Feb 17, 1933 -- The Reichstag building in Berlin is damaged by fire. The Nazis blame the fire on Communists and demand Hitler be given unlimited power to put down rebellion
March 23, 1933 -- the Reichstag grants Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers over Germany
March 27, 1933 -- Japan withdraws from the League of Nations (forerunner to the United Nations) after it is criticized for it’s actions in invading China
July 14, 1933 -- All political parties other than the Nazis are outlawed in Germany
Oct 14, 1933 -- Germany withdraws from the League of Nations
June 30, 1934 -- Hitler orders the arrest and murder of many top leaders in his storm trooper unit the SA. This group has protected Hitler for 10 years, but Hitler removes it’s leaders from being a threat to the German army or to himself. This event is called “The Night of Long Knives.”
Aug 2, 1934 -- German President von Hindenburg dies and Hitler assumes the office of president also -- Hitler know holds complete power in Germany
Aug 15, 1935 -- The Nazis ban marriages between Germans and Jews
Sept 15, 1935 -- The Nuremberg Laws strip Jews of most of their rights as German citizens
March 7, 1936 -- German troops occupy the Rhineland region of Germany -- they had been forbidden to do this by the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler ignores this and no country moves to stop the action
Aug 1, 1936 -- The Olympic Games begin in Berlin with Adolf Hitler in attendance. The games become a showcase of Germany and Nazi rule to the world. The Nazis remain on their best behavior during the games. All signs of discrimination against Jews are covered up.
Oct 25, 1936 -- Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini form the Rome-Berlin alliance
Nov 25, 1936 -- Germany and Japan pledge to support one another should Russia attack either one
Nov 12, 1937 -- Japanese troops attack and capture Shanghai
Nov 20, 1937 -- A new Chinese capital is set up in Chungking by Chiang Kai-shek
Dec 11, 1917 -- Italy leaves the League of Nations
Dec 13, 1937 -- Japanese troops capture Nanking, the former capital, and begin the terrible slaughter of over 250,000 Chinese civilians. This event is known as “The Rape of Nanking”
March 13, 1938 -- German troops occupy Austria and annex it into Greater Germany. This is known as the “Anschluss” or union.
Sept 29, 1938 -- The Munich Conference is held - Leaders of Britain and France continue a policy of appeasement (giving in to demands and threats) toward Hitler and allow the German speaking regions (Sudetenland) of Czechoslovakia to be absorbed into Greater Germany also. British prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares that Hitler is a man who can be dealt with and that the conference has achieved “peace in our time.”
Nov 3, 1938 -- Japan proclaims full domination and control of the western pacific and all of Southeast Asia
Nov 9, 1938 -- Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass occurs in Germany. Nazis destroy and damage hundreds of Jewish businesses and places of worship across Germany. This type of violence is known as a “pogrom.”
March 10, 1939 -- The rest of Czechoslovakia is occupied by German troops and that nation becomes part of Greater Germany also.
Aug 23, 1939 -- the world is stunned when Germany and Russia sign a non-aggression pact, agreeing not to attack one another. It is agreed that Poland will be divided between them
Sept 1, 1939 -- World War II begins as German forces invade Poland. Hitler claims that the Poles have attacked first to justify this land grab
Sept 3, 1939 -- Britain and France declare war on Germany
Sept 5, 1939 -- The US, desiring to stay out of the conflict if possible, declares it’s neutrality at this time
Sept 17, 1939 -- Russian troops invade Poland from the east to grab land in order to create a buffer between itself and Germany in the east
Sept 27, 1939 -- Warsaw, the capital of Poland, falls to the Germans
Nov 30, 1939 -- to create a buffer between itself and Germany in the north, Russia invades Finland
April 9, 1940 -- German troops invade Norway and Denmark
May 10, 1940 -- German troops invade France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. In Britain, Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister
May 26, 1940 -- Hundreds of boats of all kinds help to rescue the British army from certain destruction at Dunkirk, France. More than 300,000 British and French soldiers are saved and live to fight another day
June 10, 1940 -- Italy declares war on Britain and France
June 14, 1940 -- German forces take and occupy Paris -- the city will be under Germany occupation for 4 years
June 22, 1940 -- France is defeated in one month by German forces. The French, humiliated, are forced to surrender and sign the document at Compiegne, France in the same place and railroad car that the Germans surrendered in at the end of WW I
July 10, 1940 -- The Battle of Britain between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe begins. The outcome will determine the fate of Britain and perhaps all of Europe
Aug 23, 1940 -- The bombing of British cities and civilians begins. By switching from bombing military targets to trying to break the will of the British people, the Germans make a major mistake and fail to defeat the British nation
Sept 17, 1940 -- Hitler states that Britain is basically defeated, postpones the invasion of Britain and turns his attention to the invasion of Russia (Soviet Union)
Sept 27, 1940 -- Germany, Italy, and Japan sign a pact agreeing to help one another if attacked
Oct 28, 1940 -- Italy invades Greece
Dec 29, 1940 -- FDR declares that the United States must become “an arsenal for democracy.” The US begins massive arms production
March 11, 1941 -- The US Congress approves the Lend-Lease Act. This act allowed the US to send arms to Britain even though the Us remained technically neutral.
Apr. 6, 1941 -- Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece to help Italy’s failing troop efforts
June 22, 1941 -- Hitler breaks his non-aggression agreement with the Soviet Union and attacks that nation. This is called Operation Barbarossa
Aug 20, 1941 -- German forces reach, surround, and lay siege to the Russian city of Leningrad. This siege will last over 900 days (2 ½ years) and cost Russia over 1 million lives
Sept 28, 1941 -- Germans massacre 33,000 Russian Jews at Babi Yar near the city of Kiev in the Ukraine. They are later discovered in mass graves.
Oct 16, 1941 -- General Hideki Tojo is made prime minister of Japan. Elements of the Japanese military control the government in large measure. These militants believe Japan deserves to rule throughout the Pacific because of it’s racial and cultural superiority and resents involvement in their sphere of power and influence by Americans and other Western powers. They act upon these beliefs and in their devotion to Bushido, or “way of the warrior.” This ancient Japanese code states that warriors will fight to the death to protect their homeland, the land of the rising sun. The code states that to surrender to the enemy is to humiliate and disgrace oneself - it is better to die than surrender. This belief will impact how the Japanese fight and how they treat any enemies that surrender to them. Anyone who surrenders is not worthy to live or to be treated with dignity or respect.
Dec 7, 1941 -- Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and many areas in the Pacific before declaring war. The US Pacific Fleet is greatly damaged at Pearl as 350 planes attack over a period of two hours. 2,403 Americans are killed. America is at war
Dec 8, 1941 -- The US and Britain declare war on Japan
Dec 11, 1941 -- Germany and Italy declare war on the US and the US follows by declaring war on them
Dec 23, 1941 -- The Japanese capture Wake Island, a US controlled Pacific outpost. A small number of US Marines holds out for several weeks before surrendering
Dec 25, 1941 -- The British colony of Hong Kong falls to Japanese forces
Feb 15, 1942 -- The Japanese capture Singapore and force 130,000 British troops to surrender
Feb 22 , 1942 - members of the White Rose, a resistance group in Germany, are arrested, interrogated, tried, and executed. Among them are brother and sister Hans and Sophie Scholl. Later in the war, their leaflets of protest against Hitler are air dropped by Allied planes all over Germany
Feb 27, 1942 -- Japanese naval forces rout US forces at the Battle of the Java Sea
March 11, 1942 -- US General Douglas MacArthur is ordered to leave the Philippines as Japanese forces close in. MacArthur escapes to Australia and vows “I shall return.”
April 10, 1942 -- The Bataan Death March begins as over 70,000 US and Philippine forces surrender - it is the largest surrender in US military history. The brutal march to Japanese prison camps covers over 60 miles and leaves thousands dead - many are tortured and brutalized along the way. For most, this is the beginning of 3 years of brutal treatment
April 18, 1942 -- A small group of US bombers take off from the USS Hornet led by Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and attack Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese people have been told the gods will protect the homeland from harm - The raid proves this false and gives a huge morale boost to Americans back home. Doolittle’s Raiders crash land and parachute into occupied China and many make it to safety with the help of Chinese civilians and foreign missionaries. Japan retaliates against China for this, killing over 250,000 civilians in these areas.
May 7-8, 1942 -- US and Japanese naval forces fight to a draw in the Battle of the Coral Sea
June 4, 1942 -- US and Japanese forces fight the Battle of Midway in the Pacific. Effective intelligence and incredible bravery from US pilots win the day. Am entire torpedo squadron from the USS Enterprise are shot down, but other groups attack just in time, destroying four Japanese carriers. (All of these carriers had taken part in the raid on Pearl Harbor). Ensign George Gay, the only survivor from Torpedo Squadron 8, watched as he floated in the Pacific as the Japanese carriers were destroyed! He was rescued. Four Japanese aircraft carriers are destroyed. Never again will Japanese forces be on the offensive - it is the turning point of the war in the Pacific
Aug 7, 1942 -- US troops land on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It is the first land operation against the Japanese. After many months of intense land and naval fighting, US forces prevail and the Japanese withdraw from the island.
Nov 8, 1942 -- US troops land in North Africa and begin fighting against German forces, the famed Afrika Corps under Gen. Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) . US forces are initially defeated at Kasserine Pass, but quickly regroup under the command of General George Patton
Feb 2, 1943 -- German forces surrender after being surrounded by Russian forces at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. This ends the greatest battle of World War II, an epic struggle which ends in German defeat because Hitler had forbidden any retreat by his forces. This marks the turning point of the war on the Eastern Front in Europe.
April 18, 1943 -- US fighters shoot down the airplane carrying Japanese naval commander Isoroku Yamamoto, the planner of the Pearl Harbor attack.
April 19, 1943 -- The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins as the remaining Jews begin a fight to the death with German forces. The Ghetto is ultimately destroyed - virtually all 350,000 Jews in Warsaw at the start of the war are gone.
May 13, 1943 -- German troops in North Africa surrender to British and American forces. Allied forces now have a staging area to invade Italy.
July 5, `1943 -- The Battle of Kursk (Soviet Union) begins. It is the largest tank battle in history and ultimately won by Soviet troops over the Germans.
July 9, 1943 -- Allied forces invade the island of Sicily just south of the mainland of Italy
Aug 1, 1943 -- US bombers attack the oil refineries under German control at Ploesti, Romania. The attacks continue for months - 54 planes are lost and over 500 airmen are killed. (Mr. Norm’s uncle takes part in the attacks on Ploesti as a navigator on a B-24 bomber.)
Sept 8, 1943 -- After Italian dictator Benito Mussolini is removed from office and killed, Italy surrenders to Allied forces and is out of the war. German forces still occupy Italy. Us forces soon attack the mainland and engage German forces in fierce fighting that will last until the end of the war
Nov 1, 1943 -- US forces land on Bougainville in the Pacific and eventually capture that island.
Nov 20, 1943 -- US Marines capture the island of Tarawa after intense fighting in the Gilbert Islands. The US public sees US war dead from Tarawa - this is the first time this is allowed by government officials
June 4, 1944 -- Rome becomes the first Axis capital to fall to Allied troops
June 6, 1944 -- Allies storm the beaches of Normandy France, creating a western front of attack against German forces in Europe. Operation Overlord, forever known simply as D-Day, commanded by US General Dwight Eisenhower, is successful. It is still the largest amphibious invasion in military history and marked the turning point of the war on the western front in Europe. The deadliest of all the beaches was Omaha Beach - The US Army’s 1st and 29th Divisions attack in the first wave and are decimated, but through extraordinary bravery, small units attack inland and breach Hitler’s defenses. Later, US general Omar Bradley said, “Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944 was a hero. Over 10,000 American heroes rest in the US cemetery above the cliffs - 10,000 boys who never came home - who gave all of their tomorrows that we might live every day in freedom. On a monument in the middle of them all these words are inscribed - may they be inscribed on our hearts forever as grateful Americans. “Think not only upon their passing…remember the glory of their spirit.” wow… June 6, 1944 may have been the most important day of the 20th century
June 15, 1944 -- US troops land on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, capturing the island in one month. It is on Saipan that our friend Mr. Bill walked through his valley of death….
June 19, 1944 -- The US Navy wins the Battle of the Philippine Sea -- over 400 Japanese planes are shot down, forever crippling the Japanese air forces. It is called the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.”
July 20, 1944 -- Hitler barely escapes an assassination attempt at his military headquarters on the eastern front. The bomb detonates, but Hitler is only wounded. In retaliation, hundreds of military officers and civilians accused in the plot are murdered. Hitler orders the executions taped and watches them over and over again with great satisfaction.
July 21, 1944 -- US troops land on the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands
July 25, 1944 -- US troops break out of the villages and hedgerow country of Normandy and begin their race across France toward the German border. In the process, hundreds of towns and villages are liberated from four years of German occupation. In this campaign toward Germany, General George Patton’s U.S. Third Army gains more ground, captures more prisoners, and kills more of the enemy than any army in the history of the United States.
Aug 25, 1944 -- Paris is liberated. After four years, the City of Lights is free
Sept 15, 1944 -- American forces land on the island of Peleliu and secure it after one month of intense fighting in over 100 degree heat in which virtually all Japanese forces fight to the death.
Oct 20, 1944 -- Gen. Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise and returns to the Philippine Islands.
Oct 25, 1944 -- Japanese naval power is virtually destroyed at the Battle of Leyte Gulf (Philippines), the largest naval battle in history.
Nov 24, 1944 -- US bombers begin a massive bombardment of Tokyo and eventually all of Japan that will last until the end of the war.
Dec 16, 1944 -- Hitler launches his last great offensive in western Europe, hitting US forces through the Ardennes forest on the border of Belgium and Luxembourg. After initial success, German forces are stopped and defeated as they fail to break through - US forces bend into a pocket or bulge, but hold. The “Battle of the Bulge” is still the largest battle in the history of the US Army.
Dec 26, 1944 -- Elements of the US 101st Airborne are relieved by elements of Patton’s Third Army at the critical crossroads town of Bastogne, Belgium. The 101st has been surrounded for days against overwhelming German forces but hold in desperate fighting and deep snow
Jan 12, 1945 -- Russian forces begin their offensive toward Germany as they cross the Vistula River into Poland.
Jan 26, 1945 -- Russian forces liberate Auschwitz in Poland. The world begins to truly learn the scope of Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish Question. It is determined over time that the Nazis have murdered 6 million European Jews. After the war, it is out of the horror and ashes of such evil that the modern state of Israel is born.
Feb 19, 1945 -- US Marines land on Iwo Jima - the island is taken after 36 days of intense fighting. Over 6,000 Marines are killed and over 25,000 are wounded in the greatest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. Virtually all of the 22,000 Japanese fighters IN the island are killed. The island is then used as a base for damaged B-29 bombers returning from bombing runs over Japan. It is estimated almost 30,000 airmen are saved from ditching in the Pacific Ocean as a result of taking Iwo.
Feb. 23, 1945 - Two flags are raised on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Over 30 days of fighting are left, but the moment inspires great joy and pride in all who saw it. Photographer Joe Rosenthal snaps the photo quickly, not even seeing it before it is sent back by ship for development - the photo appears in US newspapers on Feb 25 and the nation is captivated by the photo -- 64 years later, it still captivates - it is the most reproduced photograph in the history of photography. 5 Marines and 1 Navy Corpman (medic) raised the second flag: Mike Strank (KIA), Harlon Block (KIA), Franklin Sousley (KIA), Ira Hayes, Rene Gagnon, and John Bradley
March 7, 1945 -- US forces cross the Rhine River into Germany at Remagen and capture their first German city (Cologne)
March 9, 1945 -- A raid on Tokyo by US bombers kills between 80,000-100,000 Japanese. Massive B-29 Superfortress bombers drop incendiary bombs that destroy a large part of the city, leaving over a million homeless
April 1, 1945 -- US forces land on Okinawa on Easter Sunday. Only 300 miles from Japan, Okinawa is the last main target before the invasion of the Japanese homeland. After almost three months of fierce fighting and kamikaze attacks the island is secured. The US suffers over 50,000 casualties (over 12,000 killed) - over 100,000 Japanese are killed
April 1, 1945 -- US forces capture over 300,000 German forces in western Germany. German resistance is falling apart.
April11, 1945 -- Eighty miles from Berlin, US forces are ordered to halt their offensive at the Elbe River - a political agreement will allow the Soviets to take Berlin form the east.
April 12, 1945 -- FDR dies of a brain hemorrhage at Warm Springs, Ga. Vice-President Harry Truman takes the oath of office.
April 16, 1945 -- Russian forces begin their final massive offensive against Berlin with three armies.
April 20, 1945 -- Adolf Hitler turns 56 years old. He will live for 10 more days.
April 29, 1945 -- US forces liberate the Dachau concentration camp. When another camp, Oldendorf, is liberated, Eisenhower and Patton visit the site and are visibly shaken by what they see. The great warrior Patton excuses himself and goes behind a building and is seen shaking, physically sickened by the horrors he witnessed.
April 30, 1945 -- Hitler and wife Eva Braun commit suicide in his bunker in Berlin
May 7, 1945 -- All German forces surrender unconditionally to the Allies.
May 8, 1945 -- V-E Day (Victory in Europe)
July 16, 1945 -- The US successfully tests the world’s first atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico
Aug 6, 1945 -- After issuing warnings, The US drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Over 70,000 are killed immediately and 70,000 die later of radiation poisoning. Over 90 % of all buildings in the city are destroyed.
Aug 9, 1945 -- The second atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki. Over 40,000 are killed immediately.
Aug 14, 1945 -- Japanese Emperor Hirohito announces that Japan must “accept the unacceptable.” He never mentions the word surrender. It is the first time the people of Japan hear his voice.
Aug 15,1945 -- V-J Day (Victory in Japan)
Sept 2, 1945 -- Japan signs the surrender document aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay
Leaders of World War II
Franklin D. Roosevelt - POTUS 1932 - 1945 -- guided US through depression and war, dying just before the war’s end (April 12, 1945) Only POTUS to be elected to more than two terms - he was elected POTUS four times, 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944.
Harry S. Truman - POTUS 1945 - 1952 -- made the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan, which ended the war, preventing the need for a massive invasion of Japan. Guided the US through the first years of the Cold War, sending US troops to Korea in 1950 to stop the Communist invasion of South Korea
Winston Churchill - Prime Minister of Great Britain 1940-1945 -- led Great Britain with great courage and inspiring words - he warned the world about Hitler and the Nazis in the 1930’s, but his warnings were ignored. Voted the greatest figure of the first half of the 20th century.
Adolf Hitler - absolute dictator of Nazi Germany 1933-1945. Plunged the world into a war of total annihilation - over 60 million died, including 6 million Jews systematically murdered. Committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin April 30, 1945.
Benito Mussolini - dictator of Italy - 1922 -1943 -- first dictator to rise to power in Europe, Mussolini allied with Hitler in his quest for power. He was murdered by Italian citizens after American and British forces gained control in Italy in 1943.
Emperor Hirohito - emperor of Japan - considered a “son of heaven”, a god, by the Japanese. Hirohito was controlled by military leaders who pushed Japan into a policy of conquest and racial superiority. At the end of the war, Hirohito finally broke the deadlock regarding surrender and spoke to the Japanese people, announcing the war’s end - it was the first time Japanese had heard the voice of their emperor.
Joseph Stalin - supreme leader of the USSR - Stalin allied with Hitler at first, signing a non-aggression pact in 1938. The pact was a ploy by Hitler to but time so that he could build up his military and take land in the west before attacking the hated Russian Communists in the east. Hitler broke that pact and attacked the USSR in June 1941 in a campaign called Operation Barbarossa - Stalin, after stopping Hitler’s forces and pushing back toward Berlin, was determined to hold ground captured by Russian forces in Europe and did so after the war -- this marked the beginning of the Cold War conflict between the US and the USSR from 1946-1989. Stalin’s brutal reign ultimately resulted in the deaths of up to 100 million of his own citizens as the Communists took absolute control.
youtube site on the National Museum of the Marine Corp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGZtiKNNNmA&feature=related
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