Thanks for a wonderful thread Dave. God bless America... I love my country!!! Debbie

Hi Debbie, You live in a great country! Enjoy your holiday. God bless, Dave

Read this: The Human Cost of WW2 Country Effectives Killed South Africa 140,000 9,000 Germany 10,000,000 3,500,000 Australia 680,000 34,000 Belgium 800,000 10,000 Brazil 200,000 1,000 Bulgaria 450,000 19,000 Canada 780,000 43,000 China 5,000,000 1,500,000 Denmark 15,000 4,000 USA 16,400,000 292,000 Finland 250,000 79,000 France 5,000,000 253,000 GB 4,700,000 420,000 Greece 150,000 17,000 Hungary 350,000 147,000 India 2,400,000 48,000 Italy 4,500,000 380,000 Japan 6,000,000 2,600,000 Norway 25,000 5,000 New Zealand 157,000 12,000 Holland 500,000 14,000 Poland 1,000,000 600,000 Rumania 600,000 73,000 Czechoslovakia 180,000 7,000 Soviet Union 20,000,000 13,600,000 Yugoslavia 3,700,000 305,000 I would like to draw your attention to the Soviet Union figures in particular. Without their losses in creating and destroying Hitler on the Eastern Front, the world would definitely look different. Let me just add a few Civilian loss figures: USA - less than 10 GB - 70,000 Poland - 6,000,000 Soviet Union - 7,700,000 Yugoslavia - 1,400,000 Germany - 2,000,000 For some who appear to have some shakey history, the Soviet Union did actually fight against Hitler - despite the vagaries of the early War years. Nobody is defending Stalin - far from it, but if we are to look at the human cost of the fight against Hitler, we should be fair, and recognise that it was not only America that fought the War. Source: The World at Arms (Reader's Digest)

Thank you, Dave, for your great thoughts. Lawton

Hi Dave, THANK YOU very much for your nice post about the USA. It is most appreciated as is the kind words from others! ------------------------ As far as war goes, this Vet says: War is really terrible thing and I certainly wish we never had to engage in it. Still, it is a fact the only proven way to stop bad people from doing bad things is force. And, like it or not, accept it or not, believe it or not, the way of the world is force. Force is why many, if not most, people obey traffic and other laws and pay their taxes. They know if they do not do so, they will be put in jail. And such force sometimes includes war. ------------------------- "Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being." Kahlil Gibran, "The Voice of the Poet" -------------------------------------- "War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." John Stuart Mill --------------------------------------- IT IS THE SOLDIER It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is drapped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag. By: Charles M. Province ---------------------------------- Why I support some wars? I read the following in a Tom Clancy novel where a women is asking the hero of the story why he, and others like him, are willing to train, to fight, to kill, be wounded and sometimes, die in a war. A woman says. "I don't understand?" The "hero" says: "What it comes down to is there are bad people out there, and someone has to deal with them, cuz if you don't, then someday, they will come deal with you. You can try ignoring them but that doesn't ever work, really. And sometimes you see things you just can't ignore." ---------------------------- I add: A person is either FOR: "Good Over Evil" OR, They are not. -------- People are either FOR: "Doing The Right Thing" OR, They are not. ------- People are either FOR: "Protecting others from Bullies and Terrorists." OR, They are not. ---------- What we have done and are, doing in Iraq is removing an extremely evil regime who not only terrorized their own citizens they did the same to their neighbors. A regime which not only funded, trained and armed terrorists & terrorists groups, they also gave safe haven to terrorists who are known to have killed Americans and others as well as conducted terrorist attacks themselves. The facts are our war in Iraq IS, the RIGHT thing to do. It really makes NO difference WHY we did it, it really makes NO difference if there were, or were not, any WMD. (There were and are.) NONE of that really makes a damn bit of difference. The BOTTOM LINE IS what we are doing IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO! And those who do not understand it are either: A. Ignorant of the facts. OR, B. They are just too stupid to be able to understand the facts! Pus, they must not really care about others & thus, they have neither integrity or morals. Here are some of the reasons our actions in Iraq are FULLY JUSTIFIED and also a NECESSARY part of our war on terror. http://community.adlandpro.com/forums/thread/388286.aspx And here is a website on Iraq: http://www.TheTruthAboutIraq.org ----------------------------------- Last what "Norm" said in his post requires an answer. 1. Do you realize the thread is about the United States and the 4th of July? 2. Maybe you should take a course in reading comprehension as I did not see where anyone said the United States won WWII all by it's self and no other countries aided in that effort. 3. As far as Russia losing many more people than did other countries. A. Gee, could it be that Russia was right next door to Germany and not across any oceans like England, Australia, New Zealand, and the US to name a few of those who fought the Nazi's? B. Could it be the Russians sent people into battle who were neither well trained or well armed? And, how well do you think Russia would have done WITHOUT ALL the MASSIVE aid given them by the United States? Or the fact we & others were tying up numerous German divisions in Africa, Italy and then France and other European countries? Last Norm, I did not understand why you would say what you did until I saw what country you are from. Then it was rather obvious.