At the half-century mark of the Twentieth Century, the “war to end all wars” had been fought and won. The surrender of Germany that ended the conflict in Europe on May 8, 1945 was labelled Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day. Later that same year the Japanese surrendered to Allied forces on September 2nd following the bombing of Hiroshima. As the Allies welcomed soldiers and sailors home, Russia and the United States remained engaged. Tragically, the former “allies” had become adversaries in Southeast Asia.

At the very end of WWII, the Russian army who had helped the Allies defeat Germany turned its attention to Southeast Asia. Stalin sent 1.5 million soldiers to Manchuria on August 9, 1945 as the war in Europe was winding down. The unintended consequence of Russia’s involvement in the Pacific Theatre, from the viewpoint of the western Allies, was that Russia influenced both North Korea and North Vietnam to adopt Communism rather than Western Democracy. The uneasy alliance of the United States with Communist Russia ended with World War II in both Europe and the Pacific.

The evolution to a “Cold War” between the two Super Powers continued well into the end of the 20th Century with “proxy wars” being fought throughout the world at great cost in lives and resources.

The spread of Communism created such fear in the hearts of Americans that no price seemed too high to keep the “Red Scare” at bay? Korea was the first, beginning a scant five years after the Armistice. Korea would not be the last.

At the end of WWII, the French sought help with the IndoChina War, President Truman created the (MAAG) Military Assistance Advisory Group, dispatching advisors to Southeast Asia.

As Eisenhower succeeded Truman, the advisors remained but support was waning as the country enjoyed prosperity and a sense that maybe the United States was less interested in involvement in overseas conflicts. The post-WWII economy was booming and American “exceptionalism” was the new religion of both the government and the men and women on the street.

Under President Kennedy the number of “advisors” and the scope of their activities grew. The infamous “Domino Theory” was commonly used to justify US involvement and keeping a “toe in the door” allowed the United States to maintain influence in the region. Not coincidentally, the Hawaiian Islands located in the Pacific became the 50th state to join the Union in 1959.

In November 1963 Lyndon Johnson became president. Following an incident where two US destroyers patrolling in the Bay of Tonkin reported being “fired upon by North Vietnam fighters”, President Johnson ordered bombings of a North Vietnam naval installation. This decision made Johnson, the president most often blamed with “starting the war in Vietnam”, in August 1964. The inevitable addition of ground troops occurred on March 8, 1965 with the landing of 3,500 Marines near Da Nang, South Vietnam to defend the U.S. Airbases in the area. The mission quickly expanded to include active combat against the Viet Cong from North Vietnam. From that point onward the number of troops expanded despite growing concern about an “undeclared war” and eventually fierce anti-war protests in the United States.

The protests against the War in Vietnam led to President Johnson’s decision to refuse to seek a second term. His successor, Richard M. Nixon had been Vice President during the Eisenhower Administration, post World War II. During the Presidential Campaign, Nixon had promised a “honorable end to the war in Vietnam.”

Finally, in January 1973, the Paris Peace Accords mandated a cease-fire and the withdrawal of all remaining U.S. Troops within 60 days. The return of American POWs was also part of the agreement but to this day many remain unaccounted for despite efforts to have them returned. By the time the Paris Peace Accord was signed, the American public was so disgusted with the war that returning service men and women were often unjustly vilified, despite the fact that many had been drafted into the service. Americans who, for the first time in history, saw nightly video of the war on their television screens, had little empathy for those who had fought so hard on their behalf. Only in recent times have Veterans of the Vietnam War been given the recognition so long denied them.

As Vietnam wound down the series of conflicts or “police actions” would continue over the years while the two great Super Powers: Russia and the U.S. fought proxy wars in various countries. Rarely, if ever were these two countries on the same side in any conflict, despite some limited cooperation on efforts to explore “outer space”. The on-going competition between two forms of government, authoritarian or democratic, continued unabated. Both sides conceded little as the years rolled along.

On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked by a terrorist organization that appeared to be harbored in the country of Afghanistan.

The actions of the Taliban regime and Qaeda eventually drew the U.S. into a protracted war in that country that did not end until August 30, 2021.

During the twenty years of the war in Afghanistan, another war in Iraq continued to consume

American resources and lives. The first Gulf War under President Herbert Walker Bush was waged from August 1990 to January 1991.

The rationale was to “defend” Saudi Arabia and Kuwait from attack by Iraq. Later, President George W. Bush gathered a “coalition” of allies and invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003 claiming that “weapons of mass destruction” were hidden there, posing a threat to the country and the world.

The weapons were never found and the wisdom of that war remains a source of controversy. The formal end of the Iraq War occurred on December 11, 2011 under President Obama.

Following the election of President Trump, a series of airstrikes occurred from 2017 – 2021 including in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Iran. While not declaring wars the U.S. continued its involvement in regional conflicts During his second Presidential campaign Trump touted the fact that no war was declared during his first term in office. His administration brokered the end of the war in Afghanistan that was executed early in the Biden administration.

In the Spring of 2021, U.S. Intelligence warned of a potential invasion of Ukraine by the Russian

Federation. Russians had long claimed that a part of Ukraine, Crimea belonged historically to Russia. The actual invasion did not begin until February 24, 2022. The war has continued for more than three years. The fear that Russia has designs on the rest of Europe has fueled both European and U.S. support for Ukraine. The old “Domino Theory” was resurrected to justify U.S. involvement.

Whether in partnership with allies or alone, the U.S. adopted the position, largely unchallenged; that the mightiest army, navy and airforce in the world needed to be everywhere. With economic interests that became global over time, the justification was easy to make to a public that was no longer subject to a military “draft” but relied on “volunteer” military service.

In 2025, the United States finds itself fighting a war that for so long stayed “off shore”; as political polarization pits liberal democratic ideals against a crackdown on personal freedoms, due process and a system of checks and balances framed by the nation’s founders.

As in 1945 it was true, so it is true today: Americans must heed the call, not to arms but to political action, civic engagement (on all levels) and commitment to the unity that has held the nation together for 250 years.