Words from a Veteran

NROTChopeful2025 said:
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A British WWII Veteran’s Uncomfortable Question

At age 100, British Royal Navy veteran Alec Penstone made headlines when he questioned whether the sacrifices of World War II were worth it, saying he looked at modern Britain and felt the fight had yielded less than the nation deserved.
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What do y'all think? This has always been my greatest fear in joining the military.
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What do I think?
I grew up in a time and a place where I got to meet and know survivors of the Holocaust. People with concentration camp numbers
tattooed on their arms and missing digits and limbs from the barbarism inflicted even on children. One was the mother of a school
friend of mine, Another was a teacher that I had one year. Much less has ever been said about what the Japanese did to people in
places like Korea and China and I'll just say that they were more brutal than you can probably imagine. . . BUT the nations who
did these things were in expansion mode and wanted to take over the world. Even 30 years after WWII, the ruins and wreckage were
still very visible, heck - I saw some in Budapest in the summer of 2025 which is 60 years afterward.

I was motivated to make sure that MY family would never have to live in a world like that. I was pretty close to NYC on 9/11 and was
around through the aftermath and again, I don't want MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN to experience that ever. I believe
in our form of government and want it and our way of life to survive in a world where there is and always will be danger.

Yes, I've lost friends along the way who were right there with me. I certainly know the cost on a very personal level.
 
Thank you so much for your response! It's a great reminder for those of us who are too young to remember.
 
My family is the product of two immigrant clans. One escaped Nazi and communist tyranny, the other escaped Japanese imperialism -- both amid WW2. Both my father and father-in-law bore physical and mental scars from that era. They came to the U.S. and raised families on the promise of the American dream. Both DD and DS are well aware of this history and aware of the consequences when freedom is taken (or taken for granted).

I'm thankful for them, and those like them, who are making sacrifices to protect our way of life. Their jobs and careers are fraught with danger. (Even now, during relative peace. I know there's no such thing as "routine training.") They've accepted the risk. I couldn't be prouder or more grateful.
 
Tar Heel MIDN said:
www.military.com

A British WWII Veteran’s Uncomfortable Question

At age 100, British Royal Navy veteran Alec Penstone made headlines when he questioned whether the sacrifices of World War II were worth it, saying he looked at modern Britain and felt the fight had yielded less than the nation deserved.
www.military.com www.military.com

What do y'all think? This has always been my greatest fear in joining the military.
Click to expand...

I would say that the British involvement in World War Two was, in Churchill's words, their "finest hour". The alternative? Being a vassal of Nazi Germany? Not much of an option there. In fact, in the entire history of the British Empire (circa 1600-1970 or so) the experience of WW2 was their greatest moral accomplishment.

Otherwise, the Empire was one of tremendous looting of its subject peoples. The history of slavery in the Americas, robbing India until they turned a once-great rich nation into one in extreme poverty, addicting hundreds of Chinese to opium, etc. And all the monstrous wealth generated by its imperialistic ventures all went to the top 1% of Britons. Almost nothing to everyone else. Resulting in the British Isles having millions of its own citizens immigrating (mostly to non-British USA) when the Empire still at it's zenith! Upstairs/Downstairs stuff.

What are the most troubled areas of the planet today? Remnants of the British Empire (though the aftermath of the Russian/Soviet Empire is a close 2nd).

To be fair, the Brits gave us the Magna Carta, independent judiciary, modern democracy, rule of law, private property, free trade, etc. But after hundreds of years of conquest, what was left when the Empire came down?
 
Day-Tripper said:
To be fair, the Brits gave us the Magna Carta, independent judiciary, modern democracy, rule of law, private property, free trade, etc.
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In other words, the Brits provided the foundation for the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is there a better way? Not that i can tell.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill (famous British guy, with an American mother, by the way): Democracy is the worst form of government in the world, except for all the others.

Those people who fled into the Spanish enclave in North Africa the other day? They may not put it in these exact words, but I'm pretty sure they were seeking all of the above.
 
MidCakePa said:
In other words, the Brits provided the foundation for the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is there a better way? Not that i can tell.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill (famous British guy, with an American mother, by the way): Democracy is the worst form of government in the world, except for all the others.

Those people who fled into the Spanish enclave in North Africa the other day? They may not put it in these exact words, but I'm pretty sure they were seeking all of the above.
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To quote Sir Winston, KG, RIP.

‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’

Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947
 
It’s challenging to compare the UK and the USA because although one can argue they are similar in some ways they are completely different politically.

British politics is built on back stabbing. If you want a good representation just watch the darkest hour and how Winston Churchill was treated during his tenure. Finding a fall man and completely turning on them is the reason why six prime ministers have resigned since 2016. Imagine if we had six presidents give up on the nation and step down, it is absolutely unfathomable.

A lot of people in Britain are frustrated with the lack of consistency from their leaders and have felt abandoned after Brexit. The people voted to leave based on promises that were never delivered and never truly thought out which led to a complete failure.

It’s also just a different culture surrounding the armed forces in the UK. The veterans of WW2 are absolutely appreciated, but saying “thank you for your service” is not a thing like it is over here. Military discounts, opportunities, and appreciation are incomparable to the benefits we get as service members in the United States.

The british endeavor during world war two was absolutely worth it, no doubt about that. But it must be frustrating to see your own government cast your own citizens to the side and instead bicker internally about problems that have no benefit to the british populace. If the british government spent an ounce of effort on housing, farming, and military strength compared to the time they spend on immigration, american politics, the northern ireland border, and cutting subsidies for farmers they could truly be a great nation.
 
I recently visited the Obersalzberg Documentation center in Germany, which is a very moving museum about the Nazi regime and the town from which is was partially ruled from. I understand now much more what @OldRetSWO and @MidCakePa were saying a few months ago. Definitely worth a visit if you ever go to the area.
 
MidCakePa said:
In other words, the Brits provided the foundation for the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. Is there a better way? Not that i can tell.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill (famous British guy, with an American mother, by the way): Democracy is the worst form of government in the world, except for all the others.

Those people who fled into the Spanish enclave in North Africa the other day? They may not put it in these exact words, but I'm pretty sure they were seeking all of the above.
Click to expand...

Could Britain have not developed into a shining democracy without building an empire built on loot? I believe FDR asked this very question to Mr. Churchill during the war.
 
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