God and the soldier, all men adore,
In time of war, and nevermore;
In time of peace, when all is righted,
God is forgotten, and the soldier slighted.
—(Etched by bayonet point on tombstone in military cemetery at Gibraltar.)
The satisfactory jubilation of victory is not as high as its cost. Even when measured by the wealth of triumph, the price of victory is too costly to reckon when consideration is given to the devastation, economic chaos, and intangible losses which follow in the wake of war. No war is ever paid for, and the burden of victory is heavy for both victor and vanquished alike. As computed in material, political, or spiritual gains, there never was a good war or a bad peace; and although we have been victorious in World War II, there still remains a high price to pay for the peace which we hope to enjoy.
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