Today is August 25,2011. Being the history nerd I am, I looked up the events that happened today in the world's history. While I noticed one of my favorite author's Truman Capote died on this day in 1984, the most significant event I found was
the liberation of Paris from Nazi Germany in 1944 in World War II.
The French and Germans started fighting in May 1940. Only a month later the French were defeated and a majority of the country was occupied. At the beginning of the war, the Nazi military seemed to be one of the most dominant military forces the world has ever seen.
Four years later, starting with the valiant efforts of the soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy France on D-Day ( June 6, 1944), French General Jacques Leclerc entered the free French capital of Paris. This victory showed that the evil Axis powers were limited and their decline was approaching.
Check out this day in history here.
As I reflect on the brave efforts of these troops, I think a overwhelming majority would support fighting against the Axis powers.
I suspect now that few can say they are fully behind the three wars America is involved in like they could during World War II. I think this is the most ambivalent our country has been about war at least since the Vietnam war. This ambivalence is not a question about supporting our troops and leaders. These brave men and women go through things I haven't begun to imagine and deserve a considerable amount of our thoughts and prayers.
Saying that though, my country has been fighting since I was in the seventh grade. Ten years later, I am starting my fifth year of college and I still know very little about these wars.
This fact disturbs me because, as a history major I know more about wars that happened over 200 years ago than I do about wars going on while I'm sleeping. I need to read more and the media needs to give us more information. Ten years of war is difficult to comprehend. More information may not change my or the country's ambivalence, but it will certainly provide a context so that we can begin to understand the significance of these wars and how they are affecting those across the world.
