Navy Wings of Gold

EPILOGUE

Long now have the remains of our comrades and loved ones been put at rest. World War II was a devastating but perhaps necessary tragedy—fifty million dead, civilians and military alike. Nations in the farthest reaches of the earth were not untouched—none fully escaped. In the uncertain dawn of peace, the survivors moved on, spawning new generations to face the joys and sorrow of the human experience. Let us live in the remembrance of those who gave so much that liberty would not die with their dreams, that out of that long long war, we never give up on our search for peace.

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Now that sixty years have passed since the end of that historic episode, I look back over the conflicts that have continued to rage. My naïve idealism has been tempered with practical reality. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French intellectual and astute commentator, visited America a hundred and sixty-eight years ago. In his classic book, Democracy in America, he raised important questions:

• Will liberty inevitably degenerate into license?
• Will universal education be accompanied by a vulgarization of culture?
• Will democracy so deprecate the military virtues as to expose itself to enervation from within and destruction from without?”

Scholars still do not have conclusive answers to these deep questions. Someday, may the recorders of history answer them with a resounding, “NO!” Alexis de Tocqueville went on to observe that Americans intimately combine their spiritual beliefs with their commitment to liberty. He wrote, “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Regardless, America has emerged as the proving ground for history. In this profound experiment of democracy, these are the things we do know:

• In a two hundred year struggle for maturity, our nation has experienced shattered dreams and amazing victories.
• Justice and freedom for all remains a challenge.
• Standing on principle, past generations have again and again preserved our gift—our inalienable hope of liberty and justice for all.
• In times of national crisis, strong leaders have emerged who have respected the values of the people, their creativity, their genius, and their sovereign rights.
• Where there has been totalitarianism, peace, in its fullest sense, has evaded the people.
• Historically, over time, free nations have become stronger, while dictatorships have grown weaker.
• Former foes of America, with our financial and military help, have emerged as free and productive nations.
• America is the lighthouse of hope for those throughout the world who seek liberty, justice and hope.

The continuing challenge of the age is to know how to use our amazing political and military power with a compassion that generates liberty, justice, and security in a fractured and conflicted world. On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by a totalitarian terrorism: so different from any enemy we have faced before. Now, this generation has again been called to make that sustained and treacherous journey down the rutted road of military and political conflict. Our eventual victory is once again the hope for a just and secure peace.

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The writing of Navy Wings of Gold began nine years ago. Now, as I put down my pen, we are in the fourth year of a new century and I am eighty-six years old. During this time, Joan and I have established a new life in Idaho. On occasion, I stroll the nature trail along the banks of the Boise River. I listen to the movement of the water, as it has for centuries rolled along the river rock. I watch the Canada geese foil their wings and drop with grace through the cottonwoods to the sanctuaries below. There is awe. Life is a gift and a great mystery. I lift my hands in wonder and thanksgiving for the assured hope of eternal adventure.

F. Willard Robinson