[2.7RACER]

Tabs,
Well written. My parents lived through the depression as teenagers. My father was the classic "Okie" travelling with his family to Northern California from eastern Oklahoma in the late '30's.
Being dirt poor was the norm in those days. Hard working people lost everything. What little money they had was lost in bank failures.
President Roosevelt offered hope and the promise of better times.
When the war for the US began December 7, 1941, the rest of the world had been locked in a mortal struggle for over 2 years.
There was no good news, only defeat after defeat in the early months. It was concievable we all would be slaves to the Japanese and Germans if we didn't all pull together and fight.
It was very simply our fight for survival. No one knew the outcome.
Slowly with everyone pulling in the same direction the tide began to turn.
At very great cost, everyone knew someone over there.
Everyone knew of the loss of sons, friends and neighbors.

This was personal.

The entire nation suffered. We knew who was the enemy. We knew exactly why we were fighting. We also knew if we didn't put every effort into this struggle now, there would be no hope for a future, nothing.

Our backs were against the wall.

When we finally prevailed a great weight was lifted from each and every person in America. We had killed the dragon and entered into a time of peace and prosperity.
Our fighting men came home with the life changing experience of all out war. The nation had come from the bottom with a set of values gained from close to a generation of suffering and struggle.
Today we read this in a history book, knowing how the story played out.
We have great wealth. The fathers and mothers, grand fathers and grand mothers that suffered so are leaving us.
The challenge for us today is to remember it can happen again.
The world can go to hell in a hand basket.

The question is will we as a nation find the resolve to unite and overcome?