I recently reread The Victors : Eisenhower and His Boys: The Men of World War II that chronicles the allies landing on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, to the surrender of Germany eleven months later. Ambrose contrasts the two opposing ideologies of democracy and totalitariansim. He points out that the D-Day invasion was not to conquer Europe, but to liberate Europe. “When Hitler declared war on the United States, he was betting that German soldiers, raised up in the Hitler Youth, would always out fight American soldiers, brought up in the Boy Scouts. He lost that bet. The Boy Scouts had been taught how to figure their way out of their own problems.”

This book is filled with principles of leadership – both good and bad examples. Ambrose provides captivating first-hand accounts portraying the struggles that the allies faced. He reveals the character of the men who fought in this epic struggle with this story, In one of his last newsletters, Mike Ranney wrote: “In thinking back on the days of Easy Company, I’m treasuring my remark to a grandson who asked, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ ‘No,’ I answered, ‘but I served in a company of heroes.’”

It’s easy to see why Tom Brokaw called this the greatest generation. If you want a reminder of the greatness of America, I encourage you to read this book.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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