Sixty-million Dead!
World War II. What many historians now call the defining event of the 20th century. The truly global war that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 60,000,000 civilians and combatants around the world. Tens of millions more were wounded or left homeless. In America, between 1941 and 1945 over 16 million men and women served this country, and over 408,000 lost their lives fighting the Axis powers. Gold stars were in widows throughout our country. The motivation for "It Has Been My Honor" came from five World War II veterans who allowed me to bring their stories to life including their memories of what they went through in places like Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; at 20,000 feet at 50 below zero over France and Germany; in the sweltering heat and monsoons in the South Pacific; and in the bloody fighting on Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Even 75 years after their experiences in World War II, the memories of what they saw, heard, and smelled stays with them. Each share what they did when they returned from the service, and the lives they led while trying to forget their time in combat. Each of these veterans were in their mid to late 90s at the time of their interviews. They also recall their Honor Flights, traveling to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial, and how they experienced finally being thanked for serving their country, albeit 75 years after the fact. As members of the "Greatest Generation", they lived a part of our country's history, this world's history, that must never be forgotten.