"Sacrifice" is Necessary to Win a War

The last two major conflicts in which the United States was a combatant ended (or will end) poorly because shared and universal sacrifice was not demanded (or even suggested) by the government.

I was six years old when the United States was attacked by Japan on December 7^th, 1941. On the following day, pursuant to a treaty between Germany and Japan, the former declared war against this country. World War II differed from the Vietnam conflict or the two wars in Iraq in that our country was attacked and clearly forced into war. It was not an elective conflict or a preemptive war; we were attacked, our citizens were killed by a foreign nation and it was absolutely clear to the American public that going to war was necessary. Those people who, on December 6^th were isolationist or had doubts about becoming involved in what was, to many, a European conflict or a south-east Asian matter, rushed to enlist in the armed services and in other ways resolved to do his or her part in safeguarding our freedoms.

The president spoke often of the need for sacrifice by everyone. With able-bodied men entering the service, jobs that were previously performed by men were taken by women. Rosie the Riveter was born. Women were enlisting in the Women's Arms Corp (WAC), Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES) and an greatly expanded Nurse Corp.