• Last modified 6476 days ago (March 6, 2003)
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A bit of history

Every day, a bit of U.S. history dies with the men who fought in World War II. That was the opening sentence of an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

More WWII veterans are dying today than died daily during the war. A couple of years ago the figures were a thousand a day, now it's said to be 1,300, and soon it will be none.

Save for family and friends, the rest of the world pays little notice to the passing of a veteran of the Big War. Little heed is made. There are movies and marble monuments that'll last for years, but the spirit will be gone when there are no more WWII veterans.

Think of what they did, those kids raised during the dark dismal days of the Depression. They marched away, willingly, to face unknown dangers in combat. Many died. Those who came home continued to change the world. They not only fought for freedom while in uniform, they also had a gigantic impact on the future of their nation and world.

They became educated, established families, worked, paid taxes, and succeeded. They built a future which improved on the past.

Their stories all were different: Some stood watch in convoys across the ocean; some flew missions to bomb the enemy; others stormed beaches in the South Pacific and thousands slogged their way across the mud and snow of Europe. Yet their stories are the same: they did their duty and, if they survived, built a peacetime life.

Each one was a bit of American history.