TO THE EDITOR: As I approach my 80s, I find myself reflecting more on my past, my family and my life in this beautiful country. I had the honor of serving four years in the United States Air Force at the height of the Vietnam War. My mother’s twin brother was severely wounded in Normandy and later died from those injuries. My father was a B24 pilot during WWII. Another uncle served in the U.S. Navy at the end of the war. As members of the “greatest generation,” they are my heroes, saving the world from Hitler and fascism!
My wife and I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. We were humbled by our visit to the American cemeteries of Normandy. We saw the horrific inhumanity at the Polish concentration camp at Stutthof, and the terror of “the night of broken glass” on the streets of Regensburg, Germany. At the WWII museum in Nuremburg, we learned of the political ambitions of a convicted criminal, Adolph Hitler. Hitler rose to power by:
— Directing his hate toward a specific minority
— Propagandizing and name calling
— Rejecting intellectualism
— Bullying and promoting misogynistic behavior
— Dominating the narrative by telling innumerable lies
— Abandoning allegiances with stable neighbors and befriending other strongmen.
— Controlling thought through the censorship of books and information
— Blaming others for Germany’s economy
— Seeking to control the media and the courts
— Demanding absolute loyalty from his staff
— Using the SS and secret police to round up Jews and dissenters and shipping them off to prisons and concentration camps
We all know what happened next!
Do any of these behaviors bring to mind a modern-day leader that we might know? Please don’t let the efforts and sacrifices of our past heroes be in vain. Don’t allow fascism to rise again!
Keith Lunn,
Port Kent, New York