Today, in 1918 the First World War came to an end. The living hell that began in 1914 and threatened to end human society ended in November 1918, with little of the root causes of the War to End All Wars resolved. But, at 11 AM, the guns fell silent. people on both sides joyfully stopped shooting at each other. The final American killed in the war was recorded by General John Pershing as one Henry Nicholas John Gunther. Gunther had been a supply Sargent in the 79th "Liberty" division's 313th Regiment until he ran afoul of Army censors by writing a complaining letter to a friend back home, telling him to avoid military service at all costs. Demoted to private, Gunther felt that his courage had been called into question, and began volunteering for dangerous assignments, including that of message runner. He was killed in the final minutes of the war, attempting to assault a roadblock occupied by a German machine gun squad. It would have been a pointless gesture, as the war would be over in a few minutes, and Gunther was aware of this. It has been said that the Germans, when they saw him coming, yelled for him to go back, that the war was going to be over in a few minutes, but Gunther kept coming. One of the German gunners fired a burst, which struck the soldier in the temple, killing him instantly. Posthumously, Sargent Gunther was counted as the final casualty of the "War to End All Wars."
(source: https://www.history.com/news/world-war-i-armistice-last-american-death )
It should be the default position of all rational human beings that war should be the last resort. War should only be used to rid the world of insane nations, criminal nations like Nazi Germany, who wage wars of oppression against their neighbors. Aggressor nations who refuse to listen to reason or to sit down and talk. Bandit kingdoms who rape and pillage their own people. Talk, first and last. Keep talking, even while you're fighting. *sigh* there is no good way of putting it. Never go to war because you want to.
No more for now. But never forget why we fight. To preserve freedom and liberate the oppressed.
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