“How Far are the Germans from the Japanese?” While questions about our democracy still loom on the horizon following our own recent elections, it bears little in comparison to the fear and anger that struck the great majority of Americans when World War II erupted. While tens of thousands hurried to enlist, millions more were “conscripted” by the United States government. Sadly, the vast majority had two things in common: (1) they were ordinary citizens with no prior military training and no related under-standing of war’s absolute indifference to an individual’s life; (2) in leaving their families and jobs they knew nothing—nor did the vast numbers of the enemy—of the far distant lands they would be sent to and the horrific consequences they would confront, all to meet the require-ments of leaders sharing one demand: victory at any cost! Phillips and Axelrod had a “right on” summation: “Overnight, boys hardly old enough to shave or drive a car, much less vote, were dropping bombs on centuries-old centers of western culture or dodging bullets in some of the most God-forsaken spots on earth.”