World War II ended 80 years ago. Germany surrendered in May and Japan surrendered in August. The final surrender documents were signed on the USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945.
Considering most historians mark the start of the war as Sept. 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, this marked six years and one day of the most horrifying war in the history of the world.
World War II caused an estimated 70-to-85 million deaths, making it, by far, the deadliest war in history. The majority of those were civilians, with the most significant losses in the Soviet Union and China.
The Holocaust, the systematic genocide of European Jews and other groups, was a major contributing factor to the high civilian death toll. Major bombing campaigns caused a staggering number of deaths and widespread destruction of property. Most German and Japanese cities were pretty much gone, with ruins stretching far and wide.
Vast numbers of people were displaced and all across Europe and China people began journeying back to where they had come from. Many found loved ones to be missing, presumed dead, and never to be heard of again. In Germany food and water were in short supply and the people in Japan were starving. A large number of Japanese civilians starved to death, and the victorious American Army and Navy brought a massive amount of food to feed the starving population.
In both Europe and Asia there began a massive rebuilding and resettlement project, mostly led by the United States. China didn’t benefit much because they were wrapped up in a civil war and Russia dominated Eastern Europe, but West Germany and western Europe and Japan were rebuilt through the compassion of our nation. I find great pride in our nation through that. We turned from being a bitter foe into a compassionate friend.
I am often struck reading about German POWs who ended up in prison camps in the United States. They were expecting harsh and cruel treatment and were astonished to find out that they were treated with dignity and respect. They were also shocked to be fed decent meals. They ate the exact same meals the guards ate. For many of the German soldiers, who had very meager rations serving in the German Army, the compassion shown to them was astonishing. Japanese POWs were even more shocked. More Japanese soldiers died of starvation than were killed in battle and they were astounded that the Americans actually fed them. When I read all these narratives, I find myself proud of our nation at that time.
Whether one supported him or not, one of the greatest speeches given at a nomination was by George H. W. Bush when he aspired to the vision of the United States being a “kinder, gentler nation.” It was quite an amazing statement. Mr. Bush was a war hero in World War II and survived after bailing out of a dive bomber and often wept openly that he was the only person from his plane who survived the horrible war.
We are a far cry from a presidential candidate saying that he aspired to be a kinder, gentler nation. In theological terms, many people have said the sacred sacrament of our era is cruelty. Many of our prisons have become noted for cruelty toward inmates. Many of those in prisoners live in very harsh conditions and have vile rations. I do know these people committed crimes, but treating people in subhuman ways seems to defy who we have been.
I am not so naïve that during wars our soldiers and leaders didn’t do horrible things. They did. If one reads about the orders from general, later president, Dwight Eisenhower, he stopped a lot of violence against German officers and civilians. He did not want reprisals.
He said, “We are not going to be who they were.” In Japan, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who had seen the worst that Japan could offer, did likewise. There was an ethical core that permeated society. Cruelty for the sake of cruelty was unacceptable. It was intolerable.
I am thinking of much of this in reference to Gaza. As I write this, the hostages held by Hamas have been released and Israel released a large number of Palestinians. Many Palestinian refugees are venturing back “home” to Gaza and Gaza is largely gone. Thousands of people have died and those coming “home” have found their domiciles and businesses reduced to rubble. I pray to God the fighting and the killing, and the hate, comes to an end.
Not unlike the end of World War II, this is not so much an end, but a new chapter. War is the ultimate ethical failure and the only way to move past the evil of war is to bring a healing peace that comes with caring, compassion and rebuilding. I hope and pray we lead the way and demonstrate the vision of President George H. W. Bush and find it in ourselves to be that kinder and gentler nation he aspired for us to be.