THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2014 / THE ANN ARBOR NEWS
SECTION
MICHIGAN HONORS: WWII VETERANS
D
Thankful salute
espite the conflicts and uncertainties in the world today, it is hard to imagine a time when the future of democracy was truly in question. World War II was such a time.
From the moment the Germans invaded Poland in 1939 until the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Japan six years later, the military mobilization of nations and the resulting bloodshed were like nothing the world had seen before — or since. More than 405,000 Americans died in World War II. If you were to tally the number of Americans killed in the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, you would have to multiply that figure by four to reach the number killed in the Second World War. Decades later, it seems almost unfathomable that our main enemies were Germany and Japan, as we count those nations among our closest friends and economic partners. World War II, without question, was the central event of the 20th century. The great battles are etched in our imaginations as much as Gettysburg or Lexington and Concord: Iwo Jima, Battle of the Bulge, D-Day. The generals are household names — Patton, MacArthur, Eisenhower — as are the larger-than-life political leaders: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin. And, of course, there’s Hitler, whose power and twisted view of the world resulted in the death of millions of Jews Michigan Honors is MLive Media Group’s yearlong tribute to living World War II veterans in Michigan.
and others he deemed inferior. The world, and in particular the United States of America, eventually would respond to Hitler’s aggression. Almost a year before the bombing of Pearl Harbor pulled the U.S. into the war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to his nation’s “arsenal of democracy” that would aid our allies in Europe who were under attack. Michigan was the backbone of that arsenal. General Motors was the leading company behind the Allied war effort, building war machines instead of cars. Ford Motor Co.’s Willow Run plant famously produced more than 8,600 B-24 Liberator bombers. The state provided so much more. An estimated 670,000 Michiganders served in the military. They stormed the beaches of Normandy, flew bombing raids over Germany and provided medical aid in the South Pacific. As the youngest of the living World War II veterans approach their 90s, the day will come when the last of them will leave us, and the war will continue its march into the history books. Today, we honor Michigan’s World War II veterans. And we offer our respect for their service and our gratitude for keeping democracy alive.
More than 3,000 veterans and their families statewide answered our call to stand up and be counted. An area
honor roll, with information as provided by veterans and their families throughout the year, starts on I2.
I