On today's date 75 years ago, the U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division liberated the Nazi concentration camp known as Dachau.
It was a blessed day for the thousands of sickened and emaciated survivors who regained the freedom stolen from them by a ghastly and evil dictator. And yet those survivors carried with them horrific memories of truly unspeakable atrocities; their minds doubtlessly thought of loved ones who had been so ruthlessly murdered.
As for the rest of us, it's imperative that we do all we can to make sure that what happened at Dachau and other Nazi death camps is never forgotten. As ugly as it is, we must look at what happened there and let it strengthen our understanding that there truly is a distinction between good and evil, and we must always stand for good, at any cost. In addition — and this, unfortunately, may be controversial to some ‒ we, as a nation, ought never render aid or give support to those who insist the Holocaust never took place, or that it's some sort of hoax.
Finally, it's vital that we remember the sacrifices made by Americans during the second world war. No, America is not perfect; and, yes, we are responsible for atrocities ‒ slavery, the plight of the Native American, Japanese-American internment camps, etc. ‒ but anyone who denies the United States' inherent greatness ignores what its Greatest Generation did to change the course of history. Anyone who judges America by what it isn't rather than what it is, ignores the way most Americans view themselves as part of something bigger than any single individual.
Anyone who wants to see America's greatness need only look to April 30, 1945.
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