Charlie M.

How has my world view changed since the study of World War II?
By:Charlie M.

Before my study of WWII I had many questions. I didn’t know why the war was fought, or what happened in the war. Sure, I knew who Adolf Hitler was and what happened at Pearl Harbor. Most people knew about the killing of the millions Jews and other people who got caught in the traps of Hitler. So I have found that the veterans that we have interviewed have taught me that war is awful and we must try our hardest to keep it from happening again. I believe that by us knowing and sharing what we have learned we help the fight to keep our nation as well as others free.

I feel sad when think of the people who died to save others, but I realize that their sacrifice has done some good things for our country and the world. I believe the war had some positive affects, the Great Depression was ended, our economy skyrocketed, and our military was strengthened. I believe the war had some other negative results too besides the lost of life. After the war Europe laid in ruins, the Cold War with Russia and other Communist countries began, and the Berlin Wall was made

If the war did not take place I believe that this world we live in would be a totally different place. We probably would have not had to worry about the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cold War might not have taken place. The wars in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and many others might have been prevented. If Hitler never lived think how different this world would be. So you see, it is amazing that one person had a huge effect on the whole world.

I really enjoyed interviewing two veterans. I learned that they were scared to fight in the war. I learned of their anger against Japan. I’m sure they were proud to serve their country. I feel like I had a strong sense of patriotism before I learned about the war and interviewed my veterans. But learning about this time in history was very exciting and reinforced my prior knowledge and strengthened my feelings of patriotism.