The Heritage Foundation - Leadership for America

As the world marks the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War, it seems a lifetime ago that Europe was plunged into unimaginable darkness, resulting in approximately 20 million military and civilian deaths within four short years. Yet four British veterans of World War I survive today, and three were in London to mark the special anniversary. They stand as testimony to the generation of men and women who shared their sacrifice in pursuit of freedom and liberty.

More than any other countries, Britain and America know that freedom does not come for free. When Britain was again at war and perilously close to defeat just two decades later, Churchill remarked that he knew the Second World War would be won when the Americans entered at the end of 1941. At the conclusion of WWII at a speech in Fulton, Missouri, Churchill coined the phrase “Special Relationship” to describe the deep military, political, technological, diplomatic and cultural ties between the United Kingdom and the United States. This legacy was bequeathed to us by our greatest generation whom we remember today. Lest we forget.