Stopping a Monster

The thing that is always true about a great people of any time or place is that they will stand up for great things. But more than that, they will stand up against a great evil when called upon to do so. There is really only one word that summarizes this phenomenal trait that makes a difference between a great people and mediocre one. And that word is courage.

America stands out in modern times more than any other nation on earth as one that has lead the way in standing up against evil of all forms. Whether it is the evil of AIDS or the horror of hurricane or famine, America stands up and supports the victims of such catastrophes. Nowhere is that trait of courage and strong virtue more evident than in how America stood up against the greatest evil of the last century. That was the evil of the Third Reich that was being brought upon mankind by Adolph Hitler.

There is no question that Hitlers plans were nothing short of full scale world domination. What is sad when we look back on those difficult times is that the world leaders failed to see it earlier so he would have not gotten so powerful before America had to step in and remove this monster from the world stage.

But the world learned an important lesson from the horrors of World War II. It learned that when the chips are down and when things look impossible, that is when America can be counted on to step in and turn the tide against absolute evil.

There is a saying that goes When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Well, there may be no better illustration of that principle than how America responded when the world we being beaten down by the forces of Hitler and his allies. Just when the situation looked impossible and it seemed that Hitler was going to succeed in his insane plans to take over the world, America stepped in and said, Stop!

This is not to say that it was not a titanic struggle of good against evil and that the victory against the evil of Hitler didnt come at a great cost. There were battles in World War II that cost our military literally thousands of soldiers in a single day. But did America turn and run? Did America say, Its too hard? Did America say, Hes your problem, you stop him? NO! America stood up, linked arms with its allies and stood together to bring down the greatest threat to civilization the world has ever known.

But this is not surprising when you know the stuff that America is made of. Americans are a complex people. We are fun loving and culturally diverse. But when the chips are down, all of that falls by the wayside. When the chips are down, that is when people can always say, America is the country we can count on to step in and stop evil when nobody else can do it.

The fact that Americans are a people of courage should surprise nobody. It took courage to conquer this wild land and spread the American way of life from sea to sea when America was becoming a nation. It took courage for immigrants, with little more than the clothes on their back and a dream to come to this country and start with nothing to achieve the American dream.

So courage is as much a part of America as apple pie, hot dogs and baseball. We see it every day in small acts of courage and valor all across this nation and the world. And if our friends around the world ever make the mistake to forget that if it was not for America, the evil of Hitler would have won and he would have taken over every nation on earth, all they need to do is visit the inspiring battlefields and graveyards in France, England and all across the world to be reminded that is was America that stood up.

It was the United States of America that was not afraid to take on the greatest monster mankind has ever known and stop the monster in its tracks. And if we have to, we will do it again.

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