Howard E. Lewis, 32°, K.C.C.H.
1130 Mosswood Lane, Dixon, California 95620–3217

The best tribute we can pay to America's veterans is to be so well prepared for war that armed conflict will be avoided and peace prevail.

In an interview with Barbara Walters, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf revealed, "It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men or women who goes into battle." This acknowledgment reminded me of Army veteran Webster Anderson who, while serving in Tam Ky, Vietnam, lost both legs and one arm in heroic combat action that saved American lives and earned him the Medal of Honor. Hearing Anderson's story, a young child once asked him an innocent but compelling question: "Would you do it again?" Anderson looked at the child and replied: "I'm sorry I have only one more arm to give for this country."

In George Santayana's Life of Reason, we are reminded that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Let us then explore together the lessons learned, as we remember an armistice that transported us from the past to the present. Sarajevo, 1914, Gavrilo Princip's gunshot on June 28 triggered a series of events that culminated in two world wars, the atomic and hydrogen bombs, and the destruction of international order. The real catalyst, however, was not Princip's bullet but uncertainty caused by unclear alliances, and differing perceptions. World War I was a world war by miscalculation.

We saw it again in World War II when the Allies initially miscalculated Hitler's intentions. It happened again in Korea and Viet Nam, when our allies, our advisories, and we miscalculated aggression in far-off lands. Even the signals sent to Saddam Hussein led him to behave as though his invasion of Kuwait would go unchecked. You would think that he would have learned by now, but he hasn't.

The lessons of history, written in the blood of veterans, can never be forgotten or benignly reinterpreted. Such actions could be fatal once again. If the lessons of two world wars and all the military actions since tell us anything, it is that conflicts start at low, not high, levels and are often caused by little moves, not big ones. We need our political leaders to look, not at the top strategic nuclear level, but at the lowest level—conventional forces, where deterrence is put on the front line, where soldiers, sailors, marines, and airman actually fight. In other words, where the rubber meets the road, where all veterans have tread.

The biggest danger comes not from the bad intentions of corrupt politicians, but from instabilities and unchecked hostile actions. We must, therefore, ensure that war comes neither by miscalculation nor by mistake, and that blackmail cannot be even slightly successful. With the fall of the communist soviet empire, we, in fact, won the cold war. Again we learned that the price of freedom is not free.

George Washington said: "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." By being true to our veterans, by living up to the promises made to them, we will best ensure that future generations will have peace because they are prepared for war.

As we reflect on the half-century since the end of World War II, let's take a moment to honor our comrades-in-arms. For among us today are those who, as individuals and as part of something beyond themselves, helped to make America and the world a safer and better place to live. For them and for each of us today, every day is Veterans Day.