Originally posted by Frogm4n
what did america sacrifice in driving the USSR into economic crap house faster then it naturally would have? The millions of jobs our defence contractors gave out? or was it the massive government spending?
of course there were some spys caught and i guess those are the few that did something that was actually dangerous.
Forgive the tone of my reply, but you have struck a nerve with this comment, Frogm4n. I find the assertion that no sacrifice was made by America or her NATO allies in defeating communism in the Cold War both amazing and insulting! Speaking purely in economic terms, where do you think the billions spent on the defense of North America and Europe came from? Much came from the European NATO partners, but an appreciable percentage came from…me; a United States taxpayer and 20-year vet. It is staggering to imagine what might have been done with the trillions of dollars spent just maintaining the defense of Europe, but that’s only the cold, hard monetary side of the equation.
However, to couch this purely in economic terms would be a dishonor to untold millions who served on active duty during that titanic struggle that was the Cold War. No, the much more was sacrificed than mere dollars, pounds, and marks. Suffering and sacrifice doesn’t just involve loss of life, though that certainly occurred regularly throughout the Cold War. And I refer not just about, or even primarily about, spies. Thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines lost their lives during the 40-plus years of the Cold War. They died in training accidents, during naval vessel collisions between USSR and NATO vessels, or simply lost their lives at the hands of the elements or chance; all died maintaining a thankless vigils in God-forsaken areas all over the globe.
But I spoke of other sacrifice as well, sacrifice that stops short of death, but is nonetheless real and measurable. Ever pull a yearlong remote tour above the Arctic Circle, or spent years away from everything familiar and dear to you? Ever bivouac in barren desert wastelands, or stare through barbed wire across a no-man’s land at a hostile army? Do you know what it’s like to stand on the ice-encrusted bridge of your ship, tossed about the waters of the Barrent Straights, and wonder if you’d be home in time to see your child born (and wondering if your wife would get tired of waiting and leave you before your six-month long deployment ends)? Ever sit a 24-hour watch, deep in the bowels of the earth, and wonder if the world you knew when you rode the elevator down to the missile launch control capsule would still exist when at last your shift was ended?
What know you of the sacrifice made by others, so that democracy and freedom would not fade from this earth? Little, I should think.
