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Jacob Casady

Hist. 153
6/25/15
Digital Portfolio Reflection

Respect and Pride for Our Country


The United States has had one of the most power military forces for decades, but with
power comes responsibility on how to use that power. Since the founding of our nation we have
often been at war but the way our country has handled these situations and the standard it has set
will be remembered forever. From the World Wars to Vietnam to present day conflicts in the
Middle East the United States has always fought with honor and discipline. But these are just a
few values our military has to teach us as well as: respect, courage, and commitment. Countless
men and women have given their lives to protect these values and our great country. These
values and sacrifices are why our military is one of the strongest in the world and offer us much
to learn from them. These values are part of our nations history with that being said ...
ignorance of history--that is, absent or defective collective memory--does deprive us of the best
available guide for public action ... (Why Study History? (1985)) in short without our nations
history to guide and shape us we shall truly falter. This being said, we must preserve and teach
the values our military has taught us to insure our continued success.
Honor: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions. (Dictionary.com) Our
military has always operated in a sense of honor sense its creation. I believe we as Americans

can learn much from the honorable operation of our nations military force. While American
P.O.Ws and other allied soldiers were being experimented on by Nazi and Japanese scientists,
Americans treated German P.O.Ws with honor. We did not murder and dissect them to advance
our knowledge or for sport, we remembered why we were in the war, to end tyranny. If
Americans now do not understand honor how can we expect to advance with the rest of the
world? If we refuse to look back at our past and see how our honor has built alliances and won
wars how can we succeed in the future? How then will a child be able to distinguish the
importance of his past? How will he use history to define his present? What forces will shape his
future? And how will he celebrate differences, rectify injustices, discuss divisions, or build
alliances without an understanding of the story of human existence?(What Can History Teach
Us Today?) This is why our generation needs to understand and maintain its honor.
Part of wielding so much power is having the discipline to know when to use it; our
military handles that incredibly well and is a good model for Americans everywhere. During
World War 2 the Japanese blindsided America with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US now
entered the war and had a great challenge ahead. The Japanese were willing to sacrifice every
man, women and child in defense of their emperor. America fought and pressed on to the
Japanese mainland. First, an Allied demand for an immediate unconditional surrender was made
to the leadership in Japan. Although the demand stated that refusal would result in total
destruction, no mention of any new weapons of mass destruction was made. The Japanese
military command rejected the request for unconditional surrender, but there were indications
that a conditional surrender was possible. (The Decision to Drop the Bomb) Only after their
refusal to surrender did the US make the decision to use atomic weapons on Japan. This is
discipline; the US could have very well wiped Japan off the map, or targeted larger populations

for maximum death tolls. However, this is not how the US operates its military, it is unethical
and not a value of our nation.
Respect, throughout our nations military history we have always stuck by our allies and
shared their problems as if they were our own. After our entrance into World War 1 our nations
quickly went on the offensive with allied forces to push back the German tide. By the spring of
1918, the doughboys were seeing fast and furious action. A German offensive came within fifty
miles of Paris, and American soldiers played a critical role in turning the tide at Chateau-Thierry
and Belleau Wood. (Paris: Ooh, La La) With this being said our allies have often backed us as
which was the case in Americas war in Afghanistan and Iran, Canadian and British forces
backed and supported American troops. The respect our military shares with other nations is
something to be admired and learned from.
Courage, from World War 1 to the Present US soldiers have demonstrated incredible feats
of courage in the face of death. World War 2s D-Day invasion was no different The American
task was to capture Utah and Omaha Beaches. The troops at Omaha Beach met fierce resistance
and suffered heavy casualties. Still, by nightfall a beachhead had been established. Eventually,
German troops retreated. (D-Day and the German Surrender) On D-Day over 60,000 US troops
rushed off of landing crafts into machine gun fire in what seemed like a death sentence. After
over 10,000 causalities that beach had been taken, what seemed impossible had been done
through the blood and courage of countless American servicemen. This courage is something we
can all learn from and apply to our lives.
Commitment, The US military is and has been fully committed to every war or incident
we have been a part of. During World War 1 and 2 we fought till the very end to insure victory
for the allied powers. Vietnam and Korea we fought until a peace treaty or armistice could be

worked out. In Iraq and Iran we fought until our objective was completed. The US has proven its
dedication to its causes and that it has the will to fight to the end. This is one of many reasons of
why the US is one of the strongest fighting forces on the planet. The US is committed to freedom
and the welfare of its people and allies and any threat to that will be met with the full force and
commitment of its arsenals. This value of commitment is something we can all take home from
our military, if our citizens were as dedicated as our military our nation just might be a better
place.
Honor, Discipline, Respect, Courage, and Commitment these are the values are what I
have learned from history, my nations military and from the thousands of men and women who
have gave their lives to enforce these values. History is just as important as our ancestors
message. History is a lesson: a lesson of intentions, movements, experiments, and human
production; a lesson that builds integrity and character within our children. (What Can History
Teach Us Today?) Therefore, I will live my life by these aspects till my final breath and hope to
teach these to whoever may listen. Honor has kept our nation above those who seek to harm us.
Discipline has kept us safe from becoming power hungry and stray from our objective. Respect
has kept us alongside our allies and will continue to keep us united in the battles to come.
Courage has allowed us to press through the storm and accomplish what others thought
impossible. Commitment is what has kept us safe from tyranny and will keep our forces on track
and in the fight. These morals have taught me how to live a better life and how to honor my
ancestors who have died for my rights and freedom. Although I may not be able to hear them,
their action will live on through mine and hopefully inspire our generation to become better,
more responsible Americans so that we may better our nation.

-Annotated Bibliography-Why Study History! & What Can History Teach Us Today?These sources were provided to me by my professor as research elements.
They seem to be unbiased and relay an importance on the study and teaching of
history. These links are listed below:

-Why Study History? (1985), William H. McNeill,


http://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-andarchives/archives/why-study-history-(1985)
-What Can History Teach Us Today?, Michael Postma,
http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol6/622-postma.aspx

-Dictionary.comThis website provided me with the definition of honor I used to reinforce the
main point and meaning of the paragraph. This source seems to be accurate and
coincides with multiple other sources. This link is listed below:
-Dictionary.com,
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/honor

-Hist 153 Works CitiedThe History 153 Sources are reliable sources provided and edited by my
professor; therefore I believe these sources are purely accurate and un-biased. They
provided me with the History Knowledge I needed to complete this paper. These
links are listed below:
-The Decision to Drop the Bomb, Hist 153 Module: 9,
http://bb.schoolcraft.edu/addins/hist153/etext/m9_bomb.html
-Paris: Ooh, La La, Hist 153 Module: 5,
http://bb.schoolcraft.edu/addins/hist153/etext/m5_overthere.html
-D-Day and the German Surrender, Hist 153 Module: 9,
http://bb.schoolcraft.edu/addins/hist153/etext/m9_europe.html

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