I Like to Watch - WWII in HD

I have always been sort of a WWII history buff. Ever since reading Guadalcanal Diary in my early teens, I have been awed by the courage of our military. Two of my favorite books are Citizen Soldiers and D-Day, both history books written by Stephen Ambrose. I rarely miss Discovery or History Channel shows on WWII. I was immediately drawn to The History Channel's newest series entitled WWII in HD.

It seems there are miles of WWII battle film in color captured by the soldiers or combat reporters, but rarely if ever seen by the world. The History Channel spent 2 years rounding up these rare films and presenting them along with compelling first hand accounts told by 11 men and 1 woman (an army nurse). The series begins with the Nazi blitz through Europe and into Asia, Pearl Harbor, to the eventual defeat of both aggressors. The horrors of Tarawa and the mass suicides of Japanese civilians on Saipan are chronicled, as is the retaking of the Philippines and freeing of the Death March of Bataan survivors. Some of the bloodiest battles near the end of the war in the Pacific and in Europe are detailed in ways I have never seen before.

As I watch the series, I return to the same thought - would our generation step up to the same challenge the "greatest generation" did? My initial reaction is that we would not. We have never been asked to sacrifice as our parents and grandparents did.

Current warfare is sterile. Planes, missiles and smart bombs do the work men once did. Most soldiers do not see their enemy. Yet, these same soldiers and their families bear the entire sacrifice of this nation. Citizens back home only know what they hear during a highly filtered and manipulated version on the 6:00 news.

Would the modern American save scrap metal for war material? Would we contribute to war bonds to finance a war? Would we endure rationing of gasoline, rubber and certain foods that we take for granted? Would we allow our young men in the military to be killed by the thousands, sometimes in a single day? How would we react to a massive war waged on every continent?
Will we ever be asked to do any of these things our ancestors were asked to do?

I don't know the answer to this question because the situations that led to WWI and WWII have thankfully not recurred. But I do believe if called upon, our military and the citizens of America would do whatever is necessary to stop a maniacal dictator set on world dominance. We would unite as we briefly did on 9/11/2001. Democrat, Republican, Liberal and Conservative labels would disappear.

Thank God we haven't seen a modern Hitler with the military assets needed to start World War III. If one does rise up, we will beat him down as we did with Germany, Italy and Japan. But it may require sacrifice this country has not seen since the 1940's.