Veterans Day began as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, after a war so horrible that mankind hoped it would be the end of war.

Recently, I rented the movie version of “On the Beach” from a novel by Nevil Shute. The setting is 1964. There has been a nuclear war. Fallout is covering the globe. Apparently, Australia alone has survived. Then there is an element of hope, which an American submarine sets out to investigate.

Approximately six months ago, the United States invaded Iraq where a threat of nuclear weapons existed. Even though we didn’t find nuclear weapons, could we have afforded to take a chance?

What if during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union had not blinked, but had instead launched nuclear missiles and then we retaliated? What if Saddam Hussein or a terrorist group had successfully launched a nuclear attack?

“On the Beach” shows us how precious life is and is a shocking warning against nuclear war. Whether our intelligence was premature in its judgment, Hussein and terrorists posed a great threat. On Veterans Day, remember the sacrifice of those men and women in World War I and the wars afterwards, including those in Iraq today.

It is noteworthy that “On the Beach” was filmed in black and white, and sometimes our government makes black and white decisions. While sometimes premature or hasty, our survival may be dependent on such decisions.

Fred O. Smith II, Farmington

Copy the Story Link