Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.

- Wilfred Owen

Twenty years before, their fathers rushed to enlist, eager to be part of the “war to end all wars.”

But when their time came, the naïvet�© of the last generation had been wiped from their eyes. This was to be a horrible war, and they knew it. But still they volunteered by the thousands.

By the time World War II ended in 1945, 16.1 million Americans had answered their country’s call. Of that number, 292,000 were killed in battle and 114,000 died in other ways. Another 671,000 returned home wounded, some of them grievously. There were 194,879 who spent a part of the war as prisoners of the enemy. Of that number, 78,750 were never heard from again.

This was a generation that experienced life interrupted. They didn’t want to go, and yet they went. We owe them a tremendous debt. And now, for many, their time has come. Each day, approximately 1,100 World War II veterans die.

In a few short years, they will be gone. Their memories will be accessible only through history books. We will have lost the opportunity to celebrate their sacrifice. As we approach July 4 this year, we should remember the holiday celebrates freedom and independence.

It seems appropriate to take a moment to say thank you to a generation that sacrificed mightily to preserve those two fundamental values.