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The following is the last unit of John De Gree’s book, American History, the Story of Liberty from America’s Heritage through the Reagan Revolution and De Gree's last unit of Modern American History, Reconstruction through the Reagan Revolution.
The Reagan Revolution, 1981-1989 Introduction At the end of the 1970s, America was at its lowest point since the Great Depression. One and half decades of economic downturn burdened Americans. Morale greatly suffered. Since 1963, the nation had experienced the assassination of John F. Kennedy (JFK), Lyndon B. Johnson’s (LBJ’s) lies about the failures of Vietnam, the Watergate Scandal, humiliation and loss in Vietnam, and the economic stagnation and foreign policy weaknesses under Carter. The hope and confidence of post-World War II America had collapsed into despondency. The Soviet Union, America’s rival superpower, was on the march around the world. For nearly fifty years since FDR’s New Deal, America had marched towards a massive growth of government, more regulation, price controls, and higher taxes. Democrats had dominated Congress from 1932 through 1980. When Republicans did capture the White House, they governed as liberals or moderates, expanding the power of the state. This 50-year slide towards leftism had produced not a better society with more opportunity and less poverty, but instead higher crime, the collapse of the American family, economic anemia, and weakness abroad. In addition, the great hope of the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s and early 1960s was dashed by persistent inequalities in education, the workforce, and by race riots. In 1980, Americans made a drastic change away from a more powerful state and great social welfare programs and chose a conservative as president for the first time since Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929). Ronald Reagan saw a brighter future for America, not based on the policies of the last fifty years, but on the historic ideas and principles that had made America a strong country. Individual freedom, peace through strength, tax cuts, and the deregulation of business, family, and faith were cornerstones of Reagan’s philosophy. He wanted to unleash the American free market and then use it to defeat Soviet Communism. This “happy warrior” used humor, a smile, Christian humility, and grace to get his message across. This era is named the “Reagan Revolution” because President Reagan completely changed the trajectory of America. He created the longest economic boom in American history, lasting through the 1990s. Reagan showed Americans what their founders believed in and he changed how people saw their government for generations to come. Using American economic might and moral clarity, he brought the Communist Soviet Union to its knees. One year after Reagan left office in 1989, Eastern Europeans broke away from their Soviet overlords. In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 republics, each denouncing communism. The Reagan Revolution was a seismic shift for the good both in America and in the rest of the world. Chapter 131. The Education of Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan’s ascension to national power was due, in part, to the great demographic and economic changes occurring in the country. After World War II, the center of America’s demographics and economy moved from the Northeast and upper Midwest to the South and to the West. This migration from the “frost-belt” states to the “sun-belt” states had major economic and political ramifications in the second half of the twentieth century. Voters in the frost-belt states tended to be “New Deal Democrats,” beholden to labor unions, government support and regulation of industry; they distrusted innovation and were risk-averse. Voters in the sun-belt states tended to be more free-market oriented, open to risk-taking, and more distrustful of big government. The Rise of the South and West In the 1940s, the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes states had 68 percent of the country’s manufacturing employment. By 1977, manufacturing jobs in these states had decreased by over 50 percent. In the two decades of the 1960s and 1970s, states in the North lost 2.4 million by migration to the South and the West. In 1960, the frost-belt states had 41 more electoral votes than the sun-belt states. By 1980, the sun-belt had 26 more electoral votes. Since the mid-1960s through 2008, all elected Presidents have come from the South and the West: Johnson, H.W. Bush and W. Bush were from Texas, Nixon and Reagan were from California, and Clinton was from Arkansas. Ford, a Midwesterner, was appointed, not elected. In 1980, for the first time in history, the election was between a man from the West, Ronald Reagan, and a man from the South, Jimmy Carter (1924-2024). Midwestern Upbringing It is fitting that America’s most consequential President from California was born and raised in the Midwest. In many ways, Ronald Reagan’s childhood resembled that of a traditional American of the early twentieth century. He was born on February 6, 2011, in the small Midwestern town of Tampico, Illinois. His mother was an optimist and a strong Protestant Christian. He worked as a lifeguard on the Rock River and is credited for saving 77 people. Reagan played sports in high school, was active in school plays, was president of the drama club, and art director of the yearbook. He was known for being friendly, sincere, and handsome. At a young age, Reagan overcame challenges that could have been emotionally crushing. His father Jack was a shoe salesman and struggled to pay the family’s bills. Though Jack was friendly and good at telling stories and jokes, he was an alcoholic. Because of his business failures, Jack moved the family a number of times during Ronald’s childhood and youth. As an 11-year-old, Ronald came home one evening and found his dad drunk, passed out in the snow in front of his home. Left there overnight, he would have died. Ronald dragged his father in the house. Somehow, Ronald Reagan overcame the challenges of frequent moves as a child, growing up in a poor family, and having an alcoholic for a dad. At a young age he decided to be baptized into his mom’s church and dedicated himself to his faith, memorizing the Bible and turning to God in times of trouble. After high school, he attended Eureka College in Illinois and majored in economics. He was the first President to have majored in economics. (Donald Trump was the second.) In college, he played football, was the student body president, and led a student strike which caused the college president to step down. When a hotel refused service to two black teammates, he brought them to his home where his parents welcomed them. Early Career After graduating, he worked as a Midwestern sports broadcaster, first announcing college football games and then Chicago Cubs games. During a California trip with the Cubs, he took a screen test with Warner Brothers Movie Studio and they offered him a 7-year contract as an actor. He starred in 30 “B-movies” before hitting it big in Knute Rockne, All American (1940). He portrayed Notre Dame football legend George Gipp who died young and uttered the words, “Win just one for the Gipper.” After this movie he starred in other top films and became nationally recognized as a movie star. In 1937, Reagan joined the Army Reserve, and during World War II, he was transferred to the Army Air Force. Due to bad eyesight and because of his celebrity status, he was kept out of combat duty and worked with other actors and directors, such as Clark Gable and William Holden, to make movies and films supporting the war effort. Captain Ronald Reagan’s unit created more than 200 productions. In a span of 12 years, Reagan married, divorced, and remarried. In 1940, he married movie actress Jane Wyman, had two girls (one died right after birth) and adopted one boy. In 1948, Wyman filed for a divorce (her third), though Reagan did not want one. Wyman had to accuse Reagan of “mental cruelty” in order for the state to grant the divorce. (Later, in 1969, as governor, Reagan signed into law “no-fault divorce” which took the state government out of a couple’s decision to divorce.) In 1949, he met Nancy Davis, another actress. Davis had erroneously been placed on a Hollywood blacklist, and was believed to be a spy. As the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) President, Reagan worked to get her off the blacklist. In 1952, they married and had a long and happy marriage, having two children and remaining together until death. From 1947-1952, and then again from 1959-1960, Reagan served as President of the SAG. He is the only President who led a labor union. During this time, the Soviet Union placed Communist spies throughout American media. Reagan fought hard to keep Communists from controlling Hollywood and the SAG, and experienced first-hand the effects of leftist radicals on American society. Reagan spent time at the U.S. Capitol testifying against Communist actors and defending those who weren’t Communists. General Electric Spokesman From 1954-1962, Reagan was a spokesperson for General Electric (GE), hosting a television and radio show and giving motivational speeches to employees. Over this period, he traveled to 40 states and 139 factories, addressing over 250,000 people. It was fortuitous that just as Reagan’s movie opportunities dwindled, television was becoming ubiquitous. Reagan was one of the most well-known actors in the country. When he began his GE role, Reagan was a New Deal Democrat, but during those 8 years, he became a conservative Republican. GE Vice President Lemuel Boulware published books and pamphlets teaching about the free market, communism, and democracy, and he established book clubs to discuss them. Reagan read the works and summaries of conservative economists Ludwig von Mises, Henry Hazlitt, and Friedrich Hayek. Reagan also studied Communism, focusing on its persecution of religion, Vladimir Lenin, and Joseph Stalin. Reagan’s studies and experiences convinced him that the best path to prosperity and liberty was a limited government and that for a person to be truly fulfilled, he must be allowed to express his faith in God. After his experiences in Hollywood and with GE, Reagan was prepared to enter political life. In 1964, Reagan acted in his last Hollywood role and began his political life. He made a speech on national television in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater titled “A Time for Choosing” that mesmerized conservatives. Reagan’s speech was a 30-minute paid political TV broadcast that aired on the evening of October 27, 1964, one week before the presidential election. He spoke convincingly against the social welfare system established by the New Deal and expanded under LBJ’s Great Society. He spoke against Big Government, wasteful spending, taxes, fraud, government subsidies, totalitarianism, and Soviet Communism. He inspired Americans by promoting individual freedom, the Constitution, the free market, and low taxes. Throughout his political career, these were his themes. Though Goldwater lost, Reagan became the national leader of conservatism. Governor of California Reagan ran for California governor in 1966 and defeated Edmund (Pat) Brown, the Democrat incumbent. He governed for two terms from 1967-1975. As governor, he reformed welfare by reducing the number of eligible recipients and increasing aid to the impoverished needy. Interestingly, he agreed with the Democrat legislature to raise taxes, but he froze new government hiring, lowered business regulations, cut wasteful spending, quelled widespread student campus protests, and achieved a balanced budget. Reagan spoke very conservatively on many issues but compromised with liberals and was a very popular leader. The education of Ronald Reagan, transforming him from a New Deal Democrat to the leader of the conservatives, was complete when he left General Electric (GE) in 1962. He would say, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, it left me,” and it is clear that he saw how the failures of the social welfare system implemented by FDR and expanded by LBJ were destroying the country. Reagan was also driven to defeat Soviet Communism and expand liberty throughout the world. After his two terms as California governor, he set his sights on the U.S. Presidency. Chapter 132. 1980 Election and Reagan’s Domestic Policy Ronald Reagan was the first president since Calvin Coolidge to call himself a conservative. Since FDR and the birth of the welfare state, every presidential candidate ran with promises to increase social programs, grow the power of government, and to direct the experts to solve America’s problems. Reagan did the opposite. He promised to cut taxes, deregulate businesses, cut the size of government, use market solutions to solve the country’s energy problems, and energize the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Because of Reagan’s successes during his two terms, he changed the relationship of the government to the citizen and he created a multi-generational shift in the electorate. The media had leaned left ever since LBJ and the Vietnam War, but with Reagan’s rise the media engaged in all-out hatred against conservatives. Journalists tried to present Reagan as a buffoon, a Hollywood actor lacking in education and intelligence, and a dangerous war-monger. At the beginning of the 1980 Presidential campaign, even with America’s problems, Carter was favored to win. Reagan countered the media’s false portrayals of him with wit, laughter, facts, common sense, and smiles. Reagan masterfully pointed out President Carter’s failures in a witty way. He used Carter’s own 1976 campaign slogan against him by asking Americans, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” In discussing how Americans felt about the future of their country, he stated, “Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.” And, in a presidential debate, Reagan amiably responded to Carter’s many criticisms, “There you go again.” Americans were tired of Carter’s condescending preaching, acting as though Americans themselves were to blame for their problems and not Carter. Reagan promised to drastically change course, and Americans wanted a drastic change from a decade of lethargy. Reagan won the 1980 election by a margin of 489 to 49 in the electoral college and 43.9 million to 35.5 million in the popular vote. Republicans gained an astounding 13 Senate seats, capturing the Senate for the first time in over 30 years. In the House of Representatives, Republicans won 34 seats but Democrats maintained control. Although Democrats retained control of the House, 30 to 40 representatives were considered conservatives who supported many or most of Reagan’s proposals. They were derisively called “boll weevils.” Two months after the inauguration, mentally deranged John Hinckley attempted to assassinate the new President. A bullet pierced Reagan’s chest, landing inches away from his heart. Rushed to the hospital, laying on the operating bed, Reagan looked at the doctors and nurses and quipped, “I hope you’re all Republicans.” One doctor replied, “Mr. Reagan, today we are all Republicans.” After surgery, when asked if he felt much pain, Reagan responded, “Only when I laugh.” Reagan recovered and was more adamant about achieving his goals. He believed God had spared him for something important. Reaganomics: Tax Cuts and Deregulation Reagan knew that before he could lead America on the world stage, especially against Soviet Communism, he had to repair and invigorate the American economy. He moved to cut taxes and deregulate the economy. He was inspired by the economists he’d studied while at GE — Mises and Hazlitt — as well as his own conservative advisors. George Gilder’s 1981 book Wealth and Poverty promoted supply-side economics, which is the policy of increasing production by removing regulations and business taxes — and lowering taxes overall — so businesses invest and produce more goods. When more products hit the markets and supply increases, prices will fall, argued Gilder. Arthur Laffer, a member of Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, argued that there is a point where government revenues will actually fall if taxes are too high. Because he drew a diagram on a napkin over a meal to explain his theory, it is now known as the “Laffer Curve.” Reagan was convinced that cutting taxes and deregulating businesses would stimulate the economy, improve Americans’ lives, and allow the country to aggressively confront Communism. The first major tax legislation under Reagan was the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. Because the Democrats controlled the House, it was phased in over three years, which meant it took a few years for Americans to benefit. Along with the tax cuts, Reagan lowered regulations on businesses and cut the federal budget by $40 million. The main points of the tax cuts were as follows:
The years of 1981 and 1982 were challenging for Reagan. In January of 1981, Reagan removed the remaining oil and natural gas price controls that had existed since Nixon. The initial release of the price controls and the delayed implementation of the tax cuts, coupled with all of the other residue from 1970s policies, caused the Recession of 1981-1982. There were calls to ditch the new tax cuts, raise taxes, restore oil and gas price controls, and change course. These calls came from Democrats, the media, and even from some Republicans — even from within Reagan’s own Cabinet. In addition, the nation’s Professional Air Traffic Controller’s Organization went on strike despite the fact this federal organization, vital for the country’s transportation, was forbidden by law to strike. In response, Reagan fired all 11,500 controllers and used the military to control air traffic until a new civilian workforce could be hired. By the end of 1983 and into 1984 the economy was roaring. Just as the other two major twentieth century tax cuts had worked under Coolidge and JFK, the Reagan tax cuts propelled the American economy forward. Inflation plummeted from 14.5 percent under Carter to 4.2 percent in 1984. Unemployment only decreased from 7.2 percent under Carter to 7.1 percent in 1984, but Americans could see there would be more jobs in the future. Gross national product (GNP) growth initially fell from 2.4 percent in 1981 to -1.7 percent in 1982, but rose by 4.5 percent in 1983 and by an impressive 7.1 percent in 1984. Americans had more income and more purchasing power. For the first time since the mid-1960s, Americans were optimistic about the economy and about the future. 133. 1984 Election and Morning in America In the 1984 Presidential campaign, Reagan ran against Democrat Walter Mondale of Minnesota. Mondale had served as Vice President under Jimmy Carter and as U.S. Senator from 1964 to 1976. In early 1983, Reagan’s approval ratings were at 35 percent. Americans were still suffering from the recession. However, over the next two years, the economy improved and Reagan achieved some successes in foreign policy. One of the greatest talking points against Reagan was his age, 79 in 1980, which would make him the oldest president to date. In a debate, Mondale challenged Reagan about his age, and Reagan responded, joking, “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.” Even Mondale laughed, and the issue disappeared. Most remember Reagan’s campaign for his slogan “Morning in America” which meant that America’s best moments were ahead of it if the country stayed with him. Reagan won the 1984 election in a landslide, capturing 49 states to 1, winning 525 electoral votes to Mondale’s 13, and taking the popular vote by over 18 percent. This is the last time that a candidate has won the popular vote by double digits. Paradoxically, the Democrats still controlled the House, and in 1987, they took back the Senate. Tax Reforms and Economic Boom In Reagan’s second term, he pushed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 through a Democrat Congress. Congress slowly implemented the law over two years, so its results were delayed. This legislation lowered the top income tax rate from 50 percent to 28 percent, lowered taxes for all, expanded the earned income tax credit, removed 6 million lower-income Americans from paying any taxes, simplified tax filing, removed 7 million falsely declared dependents by compelling parents to report Social Security numbers for their children, and increased the home mortgage interest deduction. Reagan’s tax cuts were undeniably an astounding success. There were both immediate and long-term effects. From the beginning of the full implementation of the first tax cut through 1988, GNP rose at an average rate of 4.4 percent. Patent filing increased from about 50,000 in 1980 to almost 150,000 in 1988. Unemployment fell from 7.2 percent in 1980 to 5.3 percent in 1988. In the long term, the U.S. economy experienced the longest continuous period of growth in history, with GNP increasing every year from 1983 through 1991, and then again from 1992 to 2009! During the era of Reagan, some of America’s great industries suffered while a new one emerged. Job losses in steel, textile, and automobile industries continued. The term “Rust Belt” was coined to signify the decay of the upper Midwestern cities of Detroit, Akron, Toledo, and others. However, at this same time there was the massive explosion of a new economic powerhouse, the computer industry. Entrepreneurs created the personal computer industry with no direct government subsidies and no mandates. However, government did play a role in the technology boom. In 1969, the Pentagon hired four universities to connect their computers. In 1972, email was created. In 1975, Bill Gates, a college dropout, founded Microsoft. He purchased and promoted the operating system MS-DOS and then created Windows 1.0, using the new “mouse” technology to make human-computer interface easy. In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, both also college dropouts, founded Apple Computers, Inc. It joined the Fortune 500 in the quickest time ever. By 1980, American companies controlled 70 percent of the world software market and 80 percent of the world hard drive business. By 1990, there was one PC for every 2.6 people. By 1991, the World Wide Web was inaugurated. Reagan’s economic policy benefitted all of society, including minorities and women. Throughout the 1980s, the median family income rose for all, including black families. Black Americans’ poverty rate fell from 32.5 percent in 1980 to 31.3 percent in 1988. In 1980, black unemployment stood at 14.6 percent, but in 1988, it had dropped to 11.8 percent. In 1980, the Hispanic unemployment rate was over 10 percent, but by 1988 it had dropped to under 8 percent. Overall, the unemployment rate dropped from 7.2 percent in 1980 to 5.3 percent in 1988. National Deficit Grows One criticism of the Reagan Economy is the explosion of the national debt. It is true the national debt grew under Reagan. Reagan’s primary focuses were to jumpstart the economy, rebuild the economy, and rebuild the military. He calculated that the military spending would cause a crisis in the Soviet Union. Reagan achieved his goals and he was correct in his goals regarding the Soviet Union. However, to accomplish his goals, he had to compromise with a Democratic Congress, who wanted to massively increase domestic spending. Both got what they wanted. In 1989 when Reagan left the Presidency, real federal revenue was more than 19 percent higher than it was the day he took office in 1981. The Reagan tax cuts and deregulation spurred economic growth and as a result, the federal government had more revenue. From 1981 to 1988, though the federal government received 19 percent more income and the economy was strong, Congress continued to spend more than it took in, and at a faster rate each year. In 1988, public debt was $2.7 trillion, compared to $908 billion in 1981. Supreme Court During his presidency, Republican control of the Senate enabled Reagan to place two conservative justices on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor and Antonin Scalia, and elevate Justice William Rehnquist to be chief justice of the Supreme Court. O’Connor was the first female on the Supreme Court. Scalia went on to serve for thirty years as one of the strongest proponents for an originalist and textualist interpretation of the Constitution. He ruled on cases based on what the Constitution stated and what the Founders meant when they wrote it. At the time of his appointment, this conservative view was in the minority on the court. After four decades of complete liberal dominance, the Supreme Court began to slowly move to the right. The Reagan tax cuts, business deregulation, and removal of price controls on oil and natural gas spurred an economic recovery for America that propelled it for over two decades. Reagan’s economic successes made possible his other great goal: defeating Soviet Communism. Chapter 134. Reagan Foreign Policy and Victory in the Cold War There was one primary foreign policy issue for America in the Reagan Presidency: Soviet Communism. Islamic terrorism was the second issue. The first had existed since 1917. The second was not as well-known. Reagan’s unique response to Soviet Communism — his decisive, consistent, and ingenious stance against this totalitarian regime — was one of the main reasons for Soviet collapse in 1989, one year after he left office. Reagan changed the world by confronting Soviet Communism. The threat of Islamic terrorism, punctuated by the Islamic revolution in Iran under Carter in 1979, declined under the Reagan presidency, but it was not defeated. In hindsight, it appears Islamism was just beginning. Even though terrorist activities decreased under President Reagan, he did not adequately address this problem. Soviet Communism: We Win, They Lose Unfortunately, many Americans today do not know enough about Soviet Communism. Communists took over Russia in 1917 and quickly established the Soviet Union, also known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.). As we have seen in this book, Communists believe all citizens exist to serve the state and all property, including every business, is owned by the government. Communists oppose religious belief. They also believe there is no morality and government can use all means to control society. In the Soviet Union (1917-1991) and the countries it controlled, Communists systematically persecuted, tortured, starved, and murdered to build what they believed was a utopia. Atrocities were state policy. In countries Communists supported or controlled in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia, Communists murdered about 100 million from 1917 through 1991. Reagan strongly opposed past presidents’ policies towards Communism. Beginning with President Truman in 1947, America followed a policy of containment. Known as the Truman Doctrine, America promised to assist "free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures." The idea was to contain Communism and let it destroy itself, or at least hold it in place. From the late 1940s through 1968, America’s policy of containment sometimes resulted in military action, such as in Korea and Vietnam. However, there was not a coordinated effort to hasten the destruction of Communist regimes from within. In fact, in areas already under Communist control, America did not offer any assistance to anti-Communists. In the 1953 East Berlin Uprising, in Hungary in 1956, and the Prague Spring of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the United States sat idly by and watched Communists crush resistance. Beginning with Nixon, American Presidents moved from a policy of containment to offers of friendly relationship with the Soviets to engage them in dialogue and even give legitimacy to totalitarian Communism. This policy was called “detente.” The results of containment and detente were continued Soviet global expansion in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, which weakened America. In 1977, Reagan was asked by advisor Richard Allen about his theory of U.S.-Soviet relations. He firmly and clearly stated, “Here’s my strategy on the Cold War. We win, they lose.” Reagan sought all avenues and all methods short of direct military conflict, to defeat Soviet Communism. He explicitly spoke against the evils of Communism and challenged the Soviet Union’s moral legitimacy. Throughout the world, on the airwaves, in the military, in the press, and in the economy, Reagan confronted Soviet Communism and worked to roll back the tyrannical government. Reagan teamed up with other world leaders, like Pope John Paul II, to defeat Soviet Communism. Because of his work, Reagan’s foreign policy literally transformed the world. As with Reagan in 1981, an assassin tried to kill Pope John Paul II and came within an inch of succeeding. Pope John Paul II was the first Polish pope in history and a fervent enemy of Communism. Soon after, Reagan and the Pope met in person and then set up secret communication lines to plan and implement anti-Communist activities in the world, especially in Poland. As author Paul Kengor notes in A Pope and President, although the Western Press has downplayed their relationship and work, the two were key to the success of defeating Communism. In his first speech after being shot, Reagan’s commencement address at the University of Notre Dame on May 17, 1981, he declared, “The years ahead are great ones for this country, for the cause of freedom and the spread of civilization...The West won’t contain communism, it will transcend communism… It will dismiss it as some bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written....It is time for the world to know our intellectual and spiritual values are rooted in the source of all strength, a belief in a Supreme Being, and a law higher than our own.” Western media was shocked at what Reagan said and claimed he was stoking war. In fact, he was destroying any legitimacy the totalitarian Soviet Communist government held. The Pope and President provided each other with intelligence: The President provided Catholics in Poland and elsewhere with copy machines, printing presses, photocopiers, computers, fax machines. It is no coincidence that Poland was the first Communist country to hold free elections in June 1989. After that, Soviet Communism crumbled. Peace Through Strength Reagan correctly believed that once the American economy got back to free market principles, it would thrive, and then he could invest so much in defense it would completely bankrupt the Soviet Union. In what Reagan termed “Peace through strength,” he believed peach would come when the United States was militarily stronger. In 1980, the United States spent about 5.2 percent of GDP on defense, while the Soviet Union spent somewhere between 15 to 17 percent. However, although the American economy was at the end of a decades-long slump, Americans were still in a much better economic position than the Soviets. Soviet citizens had to wait in lines to buy everyday items like toilet paper because their government-owned industries could not produce enough. Soviets also lacked basic food supplies like grain. Reagan wanted to build America’s defenses, not to attack the Soviet Union; he sought to force the U.S.S.R. to try to keep up, and thus cripple itself. Reagan increased defense spending from $143.7 billion in 1980 to $309.7 billion in 1988. Because of America’s expanding economy, this increase in defense spending did not represent a significantly larger share of GDP. In fact, defense spending only grew from 5.2 percent of GDP in 1980 to 6.1 percent of GDP in 1988. With the new funds, Reagan built new ships and advanced military weapons, and began research on a new missile defense program. Reagan challenged the Soviet buildup of nuclear weapons in Europe, and he won. In the 1970s, the Soviet Union deployed hundreds of intermediate-range nuclear missiles to threaten Western Europe. In 1979, NATO planned to deploy its own such weapons aimed at Eastern Europe. Reagan offered to cancel NATO’s plan to deploy these missiles if the Soviets agreed to pull out their weapons. The Soviets refused and Reagan went ahead with the plan, deploying hundreds of intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Western Europe aimed at the East. Protests erupted across Western Europe, claiming Reagan was a warmonger. Soviets funded many of these protests, yet in 1987, they backed down and accepted Reagan’s offer, signing the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and removing their missiles. One key component of Reagan’s plan to defeat the Soviets was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Since the Soviet Union had developed its nuclear capabilities and amassed a large array of missiles by the 1970s, the two superpowers functioned on the policy of mutually assured destruction (MAD). The philosophy was that neither side would launch a nuclear missile because the other side could then obliterate the attacker. In 1980, the Soviets held a distinct advantage in the number of long-range and short-range nuclear missiles, while the Americans held the advantage in technologically advanced anti-missile weapons systems. Instead of adding to the American arsenal, Reagan wanted to develop technology to make the missiles obsolete. He thought the idea of MAD was a “suicide pact.” The idea behind SDI was to develop a defense system using lasers, satellites, and ground and space-based missile systems that could shoot down nuclear missiles before they landed and detonated. In 1983, Reagan announced the launch of the SDI and organized it within the US Department of Defense. Immediately, the Western media denounced the program as ludicrous. Deriding Reagan’s plan as a fantasy, journalists termed it “Star Wars.” Unfortunately for the media and the Soviet Union, the American public quickly embraced the metaphor and backed Reagan and his plan fully. Star Wars was a very popular 1977 science fiction movie, where the good guys (the Republic) fought Darth Vader and the Evil Empire. Reagan and his supporters loved the term and used it. The Evil Empire Reagan explicitly stated his position on the Communist Soviet Union and put the Communist dictators on defense. On March 8, 1983, in a speech at the National Association of Evangelicals, Reagan stated that the Soviet Union was an “evil empire” and “the focus of evil in the modern world.” Reagan used these strong terms even though White House staffers and State Department officials deleted these words from the speech. It was originally written by his speechwriter Anthony R. Dolan, and Reagan put the words back in. The Western Press attacked Reagan as a warmonger, but the Soviet leadership knew this threatened their legitimacy in the eyes of their own citizens. Reagan’s words and actions increased protests inside of the Soviet Union and its satellite countries. Meanwhile, America was involved indirectly in Great Britain’s 1982 Falklands War against Argentina, and in 1983 America overthrew a Communist takeover of Grenada, a tiny island country of the Bahamas and British Commonwealth. Over 600 Americans were studying medicine on Grenada. Reagan wanted to protect the students and keep the island from becoming Communist, so ordered an invasion. With the Communists removed from power, Grenada returned to its democratic form of government in the Commonwealth. Reagan promised to roll back Soviet Communism throughout the world. In his 1985 State of the Union address, he stated, “We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives — on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua — to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth.” In Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras, Suriname, Uruguay, and elsewhere, America provided support to those fighting the Communists. Unfortunately, some of the fighters and governments America supported had terrible human rights records against their own people. Reagan chose to support evil leaders at times, but only if they fought Communists. In Afghanistan, Reagan helped finance those fighting against the Soviet invasion, the Afghan mujahedeen forces. American funding of Islamic militant groups began under Carter, but Reagan increased the funding dramatically, from $695,000 in 1979 to $630 million in 1987. One of the mujahedeen fighters was Osama bin Laden, later the leader of Al-Qaeda, the group that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001 (9/11). In April 1988, the Soviet Union began its withdrawal from Afghanistan and completed it on February 15, 1989. It was the first withdrawal of troops in Soviet history. Reagan was a masterful negotiator. He used his charm, wit, and unwavering moral courage to challenge the Communist leaders. One problem plagued Reagan during his first five years: Soviet leaders kept dying. Leonid Brezhnev died in 1982; Yuri Andropov died in 1984; and Konstantin Chernenko died in 1985. From 1985 to 1988, Reagan met in person four times with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, in Switzerland, Iceland, the United States, and the Soviet Union. After the third meeting, both countries agreed to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which limited short-range and intermediate-range missiles. Gorbachev also started to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, ended his support of Communists in Nicaragua and reduced Soviet commitments in Cuba and Vietnam. He told the Eastern European countries they needed to “find their own solutions to their own problems.” This signaled to these countries that they could potentially break away from Moscow’s control. At the end of Reagan’s two terms, the resurgent American economy and the relentless pressure on the Communist Soviet Union began to pay off. As noted, the Soviet Union withdrew completely from Afghanistan. Uprisings against Communist rule were rampant in Eastern Europe and in Asia. Soviet aid to Latin America began to dry up. On June 12, 1987, at the Brandenburg Gate, Germany, in front of the Berlin Wall, Reagan gave a stirring speech, daring the Soviet Communist leader with these words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Two years later, on November 9, 1989, Germans tore it down. Poland held free elections in 1989 and for the first time since the end of World War II, a non-Communist party governed. In less than 12 months, each Communist country in Central and Eastern Europe fell, and in 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into the country of Russia and 14 other independent nations. Fall of Soviet Communism After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 right after Reagan left office, many Russians credited the work of President Reagan in tearing down Communist Soviet Union. Gennady Gerasimov, top Spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry during the 1980s, said, “Reagan bolstered the U.S. military might to ruin the Soviet economy, and he achieved his goal....The Soviet Union tried to keep up pace with the U.S. military buildup, but the Soviet economy couldn’t endure such competition.” Former dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, said of Reagan, “His phrase, ‘evil empire,’ became a household word in Russia.” Soviet foreign policy expert and later ambassador to the United States Vladimir Lukhim stated, “It is clear that SDI accelerated our catastrophe by at least five years.” Radical Islamic Terrorism One unsuccessful area of Reagan’s foreign policy was in combating radical Islam. Reagan sent Marines to Lebanon to keep peace between Israel and radical Islamic terrorists. On October 23, 1983, Iran ordered and paid Hezbollah, a radical Islamic terrorist organization, to bomb the U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon. In all, 241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and three soldiers were killed. In addition, 100 Marines were injured. Minutes later, another bomb detonated, killing French soldiers. In December 1983, Syria shot down two U.S. fighters and held one pilot hostage, releasing him to Democrat presidential candidate Jesse Jackson. Within a few months, Reagan withdrew all forces from the Middle East. Later, Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda that attacked America on 9/11/2001, called the Lebanon carnage the “Twin Bombings” and said it was a sign to him that America had little staying power in a fight. In 1986, Islamic terrorists supported by Libyan dictator Muammar al Gaddafi bombed a West German disco frequented by American GIs. Reagan ordered a bombing of terrorist camps in Libya in response. By 1987, world terrorism had declined to about half of what it was in 1970. The Soviet Union, a major sponsor of terror, was in decline. However, Iran, a radical Islamic theocracy since 1979, was replacing the U.S.S.R. as the world’s greatest sponsor of terror. Moreover, the radical groups that America had sponsored during the war against the Soviet Union were now on the rise to power in Afghanistan. Reagan did not confront the rise of Islamic terrorism. In fact, he negotiated with and sold weapons to Iran so they would pressure Hezbollah to release terrorists. As noted, thirteen years after Reagan, on 9/11/2001, Islamic terrorists attacked the United States. While Reagan, of course, was not responsible for this attack, we can see in retrospect that he failed to comprehend the danger of this movement to the United States. Conclusion The 1980s were a seminal decade in American history, primarily because of Ronald Reagan. In this decade, Reagan restored the American economy, igniting the longest running span of economic growth in American history. Congress, which had been controlled by Democrats since the Great Depression, became competitive between Republicans and Democrats over the following decades. Democrat leaders of the 1990s, such as President Bill Clinton, sounded more like Reagan than Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), stating, “The era of big government is over.” Americans embraced the optimism of Ronald Reagan and began to see government as the problem, not the solution, to every challenge. Reagan’s words became the thoughts of many, after he stated in 1986, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help!” After Reagan, many Americans did not want the government to solve their problems. They wanted individual freedom. Beyond the shores of America, the Reagan Presidency had a monumental effect. In great part because of Reagan, Soviet Communism fell and its domination over Eastern Europe, parts of Latin America, Asia, and Africa ended. Some 265 million former Soviet citizens, 300 million Eastern Europeans, and tens of millions of others experienced freedom as a result of the fall of Soviet Communism. The Soviet Union was clearly the loser in the Cold War, and the United States of America was the victor. Socialist totalitarianism and centralized planning were shown to be inferior to free market capitalism. This was not a one-time event, but a change in trajectory for nearly three-quarters of a billion people living under communism. While communism in Europe and in much of the world died as a result of the defeat and dissolution of the Soviet Union, totalitarianism reared its ugly head in Russia, and also in Belarus, in the twenty-first century. President Reagan has never been called a saint, and there were strong critics of his tenure. The Iran/Contra Scandal involved Reagan’s senior officials selling arms to Iran during an American embargo to gain the release of American hostages. These officials then used the proceeds to fund the Contras, an anti-Communist rebel group in Nicaragua. Both of these actions violated American policy. Moreover, Iran, which became the world’s largest sponsor of terror, was aided by America. Reagan was never implicated in the affair, but it appears he approved of the actions. While Reagan was one of the most successful presidents of the twentieth century, he was one of the most reviled by the Western media. As American media turned more leftist from the 1960s on, any President who praised the free market and American power became an enemy. Journalists created urban myths about Reagan, falsely claiming he started the AIDS epidemic, that he thought ketchup was a vegetable, and that he shut down all mental health facilities. Reagan, however, was known as a “happy warrior,” consistently beating the media and speaking directly to the American people, using humor, exhibiting dignity, and bringing results. He was loved by Americans, as evidenced by his landslide victories, and by the outpouring of grief after his death in 2004. The Reagan Revolution changed the world in many ways. Following his presidency, Americans desired individual freedom more than welfare, sought their own solutions to their problems instead of answers from experts, and desired less government than more. Abroad, Soviet Communism was conquered, and nearly three-quarters of a billion people experienced freedom for the first time. Most of those peoples’ children grew up in freedom, and a totalitarian system that held dominance since 1917 was swept away into the “dustbin of history.”
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This is part of a chapter taken from American History, America's Ancient Heritage through 1992, by John De Gree
On June 6, 1944, the Western Allies launched the largest seaborne invasion in world history. The invasion was named Operation Overlord, and the first day of attack was called D Day. From Great Britain to Normandy France, the Allies deployed 156,000 soldiers and 195,700 naval personnel. American leaders spoke about the war and D Day as a crusade to vanquish evil and summoned God’s help through prayer. On June 7th, FDR announced D Day in a radio broadcast to Americans. No journalist criticized FDR for his use of religion. Americans were united in prayer to support its soldiers: My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far. And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer: Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen. Eleven months later, the war in Europe was over, with the Allies winning unconditional surrender from Germany. As the Allies pushed west from France into Germany, Allied forces in Italy were finishing a long fight they began after winning North Africa. The Soviets, moving east, eventually took Berlin in May, 1945. On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaida terrorists from various countries in the Middle East and Asia hijacked four airplanes and purposefully crashed them. Two airplanes hit the “Twin Towers” in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and one did not reach its target of the White House because the passengers stopped the terrorist pilots. This plane crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania. Because of the 9/11 attacks, approximately 3,000 civilians were murdered and America fully entered into the War on Terror.
The terrorists who committed these attacks were part of an international organization called Al-Qaida, a radical Islamic organization. Al-Qaida did not control a country, but its members lived and live in many parts of the world, including the United States of America. These terrorists hate America because the United States supports Israel’s right to exist, and because America represents freedom. Islamic terrorists want the world to follow its own form of Islam. Israel is a Jewish country, and the Al-Qaida organization hates Jews. Osama bin Laden was the head of Al-Qaida. He demanded that the U.S.A. stop supporting Israel and that we remove all of our soldiers from the Arabian Peninsula. In 2001, Al-Qaida had most of its bases in Afghanistan, a country of Asia. Afghanistan was ruled by a political party called the Taliban. Like Al-Qaida, the Taliban was very extreme in its Islamic beliefs. The Taliban did not allow girls to study or women to have a job. Women had to wear a black robe called a burqa that covered their entire body. The Taliban treat females as if they are second-class citizens. If you had a book or a newspaper that the Taliban didn’t like, the Taliban soldiers might torture or kill you. If it was thought you were an Afghani Christian, the Taliban would execute you. If you belonged to a minority group, you could be tortured. Punishment for homosexuality or for infidelity for a married woman was execution. The Taliban and Al-Qaida worked together. After the attacks on 9/11, President Bush demanded from the Taliban that it hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States of America. The Taliban refused, and the U.S. launched a war. The Taliban lost the war initially and the U.S. helped the Afghans establish a republic. However, after 20 years, the Taliban are back in charge of Afghanistan. In 2001, Saddam Hussein was the dictator of Iraq, and the world believed that he was supporting terrorists and that he had dangerous weapons. It was feared he would give terrorists a nuclear bomb or poison gas or some other weapons that the terrorists would then use against Americans. Saddam Hussein threatened the U.S., attempted to kill President George H.W. Bush in a visit to Kuwait, and had defied 16 United Nations resolutions to come clean on his making dangerous weapons. The United States Senate gave President George W. Bush authority to use force to remove Hussein, and he used it. The U.S. launched a war against Hussein, removed him, and established a republic. Iraq is still a republic today. The Iraqi people tried and executed Hussein as a mass murderer. President Obama became the leader of the U.S. in 2009 and continued the fight against terrorists in a different way than President Bush. He stated that he wanted the U.S.A. to lead from behind and to disengage in the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. However, he continued ordering the killing of terrorists. In 2011, he gave the order for Navy Seals to kill the leader of Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden. In 2014, Obama announced the end of active military operations in Afghanistan. From that point on, America performed more of a backup role in support of Afghan soldiers. Initially, President Obama ordered American soldiers out of Iraq. After the American retreat from Iraq, another terrorist organization, called Daesha (or also ISIS) conquered much of Iraq and Syria. ISIS instituted Sharia Law, the same law that the Taliban ruled with in Afghanistan. Over 1 million refugees fled ISIS and immigrated, mainly to Europe. Some of these refugees are terrorists and have killed Europeans. Once it became clear that ISIS was a threat to Iraq and American interests, President Obama sent American soldiers back into Iraq. President Trump continued the fight against terrorists in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Different from President Obama, Trump allowed the American military to fully engage the terrorists and be more aggressive. In early 2018, the United States and its allies defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In 2018, ISIS held no territory, could not collect any taxes, and did not control any oil fields. When President Trump left office in January 2021, the Taliban controlled 20% of Afghanistan. Trump made a deal with the Taliban that the United States would withdraw its soldiers by May 1, 2021, if the Taliban would not try to take more land in Afghanistan or harm Americans. Trump’s plan was to maintain an American presence at the military airport at Bagram Air Base, a massive military airport the Americans had built in Afghanistan, to ensure that terrorists would not threaten America from Afghanistan. In January, 2021, President Joe Biden took office. Biden extended the American presence in Afghanistan four months. Beginning in May, the Taliban attacked and captured key military posts and territory throughout Afghanistan. Biden did not order American troops to fight the Taliban as they took control of more of the country. Biden decided to evacuate all American soldiers out of Afghanistan by August 31st. This decision to leave did not involve American allies and NATO, even though they had supported the U.S. during the war. While the Afghani President in July and August warned Biden that the Taliban could take over the country quickly, Biden told him to not speak of this in public, but to give the perception that the Taliban were not threatening the Afghani government. Biden announced to reporters at this time that the Taliban could not take over the country so quickly. Biden then gave the order to abandon Bagram Air Base. American forces left at midnight, without telling the Afghani commander. Once the Americans left, The Taliban quickly moved in to take over all of the country. The Taliban, before taking over the capital city Kabul, asked the Biden administration if he wanted to secure the city while the Americans evacuated all other personnel, including American civilians and Afghanis who had helped the Americans. Biden told the Taliban they could take over the city and be in charge. On August 15, the Taliban captured Kabul. Only the airport in Kabul was controlled by the Americans. For the last two weeks of August, 2022, the Biden Administration attempted to evacuate all Americans and its Afghani allies from the country. Biden reported there were around 11,000 Americans in the country. Throughout these two weeks, Americans and its Afghan allies had to make their way through Taliban guards to the airport. Many Americans and Afghani allies reported that the Taliban beat them and denied them to get to the airport. On August 26, a suicide attack killed 13 U.S. Marines and up to 200 Afghanis at the airport. By the end of August, all U.S. soldiers were evacuated along with 6,000 Americans, but anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand Americans were left stranded along with tens of thousands of Afghani allies in Afghanistan. Vice President Harris, who is running for President in the 2024 election, argues that she was completely involved in all decisions about the war in Afghanistan and is proud of her work with President Biden. Since September 11, 2024, the Taliban control Afghanistan and there are no more U.S. soldiers in the country. Twenty-four years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, those who harbored and supported the terrorists claim victory over America in Afghanistan. Questions 1. Who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.A? 2. Who are the Taliban? 3. How did the U.S. respond to these attacks in Afghanistan? 4. Why did the U.S. attack Iraq? 5. What happened after President Obama took U.S. soldiers out of Iraq? 6. What has happened to ISIS since President Trump began his presidency? 7. What did the Taliban do from May through August, 2021? 8. How did President Biden respond? 9. How many Americans and its Afghani allies were left behind once the American military evacuated Afghanistan? 10. Opinion Question: Should the United States have completely left Afghanistan? Was the withdrawal completed in the best way?  On September 11, 2001, 19 Al-Qaida terrorists from various countries in the Middle East and Asia hijacked four airplanes and purposefully crashed them. Two airplanes hit the “Twin Towers” in New York City, one hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and one did not reach its target of the White House because the passengers stopped the terrorist pilots. This plane crash-landed in a field in Pennsylvania. Because of the 9/11 attacks, approximately 3,000 civilians were murdered and America fully entered into the War on Terror.
The terrorists who committed these attacks were part of an international organization called Al-Qaida, a radical Islamic organization. Al-Qaida does not control a country, but its members live in many parts of the world, including the United States of America. These terrorists hate America because the United States supports Israel’s right to exist, and because America represents freedom. Israel is a Jewish country, and the Al-Qaida organization hates Jews. Osama bin Laden was the head of Al-Qaida. He demanded that the U.S.A. stop supporting Israel, and that we remove all of our soldiers from the Arabian Peninsula. In 2001, Al-Qaida had most of its bases in Afghanistan, a country of Asia. Afghanistan was ruled by a political party called the Taliban. Like Al-Qaida, the Taliban was very extreme in its Islamic beliefs. The Taliban did not allow girls to study or women to have a job. Women had to wear a black robe called a burqa that covered their entire body. When a girl under Taliban control becomes a woman, the Taliban may agree to mutilate her body to permanently mark her as less than a man. If you had a book or a newspaper that the Taliban didn’t like, the Taliban soldiers might torture or kill you. If it was thought you were an Afghani Christian, the Taliban would execute you. If you belonged to a minority group, you could be tortured. Punishment for homosexuality or for infidelity for a married woman was execution. The Taliban and Al-Qaida worked together. After the attacks on 9/11, President Bush demanded from the Taliban that it hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States of America. The Taliban refused, and the U.S. launched a war. The Taliban lost the war initially and the U.S. helped the Afghans establish a republic. However, after 20 years, the Taliban are back in charge of Afghanistan, and the U.S. has withdrawn all soldiers. In 2001, Saddam Hussein was the dictator of Iraq, and the world believed that he was supporting terrorists and that he had dangerous weapons. It was feared he would give terrorists a nuclear bomb or poison gas or some other weapons that the terrorists would then use against Americans. Saddam Hussein threatened the U.S., attempted to kill President George H.W. Bush in a visit to Kuwait, and had defied 16 United Nations resolutions to come clean on his making dangerous weapons. The United States Senate gave President George W. Bush authority to use force to remove Hussein, and he used it. The U.S. launched a war against Hussein, removed him, and established a republic. The Iraqi people tried and executed Hussein as a mass murderer. President Obama became the leader of the U.S. in 2009 and continued the fight against terrorists in a different way than President Bush. He stated that he wanted the U.S.A. to lead from behind and to disengage in the war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. However, he continued ordering the killing of terrorists. In 2011, he gave the order for Navy Seals to kill the leader of Al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden. In 2014, Obama announced the end of active military operations in Afghanistan. From that point on, America performed more of a backup role in support of Afghan soldiers. President Obama ordered American soldiers out of Iraq. After the American retreat from Iraq, another terrorist organization, called Daesha (or also ISIS) conquered much of Iraq and Syria. ISIS instituted Sharia Law, the same law that the Taliban ruled with in Afghanistan. Over 1 million refugees fled ISIS and immigrated, mainly to Europe. Some of these refugees are terrorists and have killed Europeans. Once it became clear that ISIS was a threat to Iraq and American interests, President Obama sent American soldiers back into Iraq. President Trump continued the fight against terrorists in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Different from President Obama, Trump allowed the American military to fully engage the terrorists and be more aggressive. In early 2018, the United States and its allies defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In 2018, ISIS held no territory, could not collect any taxes, and did not control any oil fields. When President Trump left office in January 2021, the Taliban controlled 20% of Afghanistan. Trump made a deal with the Taliban that the United States would withdraw its soldiers by May 1, 2021, if the Taliban would not take conquer Afghanistan or harm Americans. Trump’s plan was to maintain an American presence at the military airport at Bagram Air Base, a massive military airport the Americans had built in Afghanistan, to ensure that terrorists would not threaten America from Afghanistan. In January, 2021, President Joe Biden took office. Biden extended the American presence in Afghanistan four months. Beginning in May, the Taliban attacked and captured key military posts and territory throughout Afghanistan. Biden did not order American troops to fight the Taliban as they took control of more of the country. Biden's decision to leave on August 31st did not involve American allies and NATO, even though they had supported the U.S. during the war. While the Afghani President in July and August warned Biden that the Taliban could take over the country quickly, Biden told him to not speak of this in public, but to give the perception that the Taliban were not threatening the Afghani government. Biden announced to reporters at this time that the Taliban could not take over the country so quickly. Biden then gave the order to abandon Bagram Air Base. American forces left at midnight, without telling the Afghani commander. The Taliban, before taking over Kabul, asked the Biden administration if he wanted to secure the city while the Americans evacuated. Biden told the Taliban they could take over the city and be in charge. On August 15, the Taliban captured Kabul. Only the airport in Kabul was controlled by the Americans. For the last two weeks of August, the Biden Administration attempted to evacuate all Americans and its Afghani allies from the country. Biden reported there were around 11,000 Americans in the country. Throughout these two weeks, Americans and its Afghan allies had to make their way through Taliban guards to the airport. Many Americans and Afghani allies reported that the Taliban beat them and denied them to get to the airport. On August 26, a suicide attack killed 13 U.S. Marines and up to 200 Afghanis at the airport. By the end of August, all U.S. soldiers were evacuated along with 6,000 Americans, but anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand Americans were left stranded along with tens of thousands of Afghani allies in Afghanistan. As of September 11, 2021, the Taliban controls Afghanistan and there are no more U.S. soldiers in the country. There are still an untold number of Americans and Afghan allies trying to get out. Twenty years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, those who harbored and supported the terrorists claim victory over America in Afghanistan. Questions 1. Who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.A? 2. Who are the Taliban? 3. How did the U.S. respond to these attacks in Afghanistan? 4. Why did the U.S. attack Iraq? 5. What happened after President Obama took U.S. soldiers out of Iraq? 6. What has happened to ISIS since President Trump began his presidency? 7. What did the Taliban do from May through August, 2021? 8. How did President Biden respond? 9. How many Americans and its Afghani allies were left behind once the American military evacuated Afghanistan? 10. Bonus Question Requiring Research: What is the Pineapple Express in Afghanistan? On January 3, 2020, American forces killed Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with a drone strike in Iraq. Along with Soleimani, Americans killed nine other Iranian military personnel in Iraq. Soleimani was Iran’s number one military leader in the area. In response to this, Iran launched 15 missiles aimed at American soldiers in Iraq. No American was killed, but the Pentagon reported that thirty-four Americans suffered nonimpact injuries. It is important to know the history of the area and the relations between the United States of America and Iran to understand what the current event means.
From 1925-1979 In 1921, A Persian officer, Reza Khan, orchestrated a coup of Iran, overthrew a dynasty, and took the title of Shah (king) of Iran in 1925. Reza Shah ruled until 1941, when Allied forces invaded Iran to guarantee Iranian oil would help the U.S.A., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union win World War II. The Allies replaced Reza Shah with his son, Mohammad-Reza Shah (simply known as the Shah of Iran). After World War II, the Iranian government moved against American and British interests. Iranians removed the Shah. In 1951, Iran nationalized the British-owned oil industry. Two years later, the United States and Great Britain organized a coup, overthrew the Iranian government, and placed the Shah back in power as king. Throughout his rule, the Shah of Iran instituted democratic reforms. In 1963, women gained the right to vote in parliamentary elections. This democratization of Iran upset the radical Islamic leaders of Iran. They believe that women should not have the right to vote and should be treated as second-class citizens. The Iranian Revolution and the Islamic Republic 1979 – 2016 Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, many in Iran were unhappy with the Shah of Iran and his supporters, the U.S.A. and Great Britain. The main leader of the revolution was the Islamic leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, who believed that everyone requires guardianship by a leading Islamic leader. The Ayatollah was upset at the Shah’s western ties, believing the west to be evil and decadent. He did not approve that women should have the same rights as men. In 1979, massive protests throughout the country forced the Shah to leave. The Ayatollah took power, and a national vote made Iran an Islamic Republic. Iranians held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days from 1979 to 1981. In 1989, the Ayatollah Khomeini died and the Ayatollah Khamenei replaced him as the “Supreme Leader.” Iran has a parliamentary system, but every governmental decision has to be approved and is directed by the religious leader the Ayatollah Khamenei. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the U.S.A. is the “Great Satan,” the source of everything in the world that is evil, it officially hates Israel and seeks to destroy it, and it does not allow any freedom that goes against its strict interpretation of Islam. It publicly states its hatred for the United States and Israel, and, it openly supports terrorist organizations that kill Americans, Israelis, and anyone who opposes the Iranian view of the world. Ayatollah Khamenei uses every method of communication, including Twitter, to detail his plan for eliminating Israel. In Iran, women have much less rights than men, men can have four wives, and the government of Iran punishes those who do not follow the religious laws. For example, the punishment for homosexuality is execution and the punishment for adultery for women is execution. Since Iran became a theocratic dictatorship, the United States has tried to isolate Iran and work with allies to confront the country. Still, Iran has been successful in sponsoring, arming, and cooperating with terrorists. For a complete list of their decades of murder and terror, simply conduct an internet search with the phrase “Iran and state-sponsored terrorism.” The Obama Administration and the Iran Nuclear Deal President Obama thought that the best way to change Iran was not to isolate Iran but to remove all sanctions against the country and to look the other way if Iran sponsored terror. President Obama believed that Iran would eventually join other nations if it were treated as if it were a peaceful country. During the Obama administration, American cooperation with Iran continued even though Iran kept funding and coordinating terrorist acts against Americans and its allies. In the fall of 2015, the Obama administration orchestrated what is called the Iran Nuclear Deal between the U.S.A., Russia, China, Great Britain, France, and Germany. The Agreement between the Six Countries and Iran
President Trump ran for office decrying the Iran Nuclear Deal as the “worst deal ever negotiated.” He argued that the deal gave Iran money to sponsor more terror, did not hinder Iran from building nuclear weapons, endangered Americans and its allies, and allowed the failing Iranian dictatorship to withstand criticism at home. Iran had indeed continued to sponsor terror, and the U.S. could not get Iran to change its ways. In May of 2018, the United States of America officially withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal. In 2019, Iran announced it had exceeded the limits to its stockpile of low enriched uranium and began enriching uranium to a higher concentration. It also, essentially, withdrew from the deal. Qasem Soleimani and Attacks on Americans Since 1998, Iranian General Qasem Soleimani had been actively involve in planning, directing, and implementing the killing of Americans and its allies in Iraq, as well as actively supporting terrorist organizations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. He was commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was responsible for killing 608 American soldiers during the Iraq War, as well as injuring over 1,000 Americans. He abetted genocide in Syria in support of Bashar Assad, and he aided the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon with military hardware and training that went into use attacking innocent Israelis. Soleimani was Iran’s number one military commander operating in foreign countries. In late December, 2019, Soleimani-backed Iranian militias killed an American contractor and wounded American soldiers in Iraq. Also in December, Soleimani-supported terrorists attacked the American embassy in Iraq. At the time of his killing in Iraq, Soleimani was actively planning to kill more Americans and its allies in the region. On January 3, 2020, American forces killed Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with a drone strike in Iraq. Along with Soleimani, Americans killed nine other Iranian military personnel in Iraq. President Trump defended the attack by arguing that anybody who kills Americans will be met by force. Political Unrest in Iran In response to America’s attack against Soleimani, Iran launched missiles at American military sites in Iraq. At about the same time, the Iranians mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that had just taken off from the Baghdad Airport, killing all passengers on board. Most of the passengers were Iranian citizens. Initially claiming the jet crashed on its own, the Iranian military then admitted its error. In response, thousands of Iranians protested, demanding that the Ayatollah Khamenei step down from terror. The protesters were met with Iranian police action, including being fired upon, beaten, and arrested. The Trump Policy Regarding Iran President Trump has warned Iran that if any Americans are harmed due to an Iranian strike, the United States would respond militarily. He tweeted, ““Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites...some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.” The 52 sites are supposed to refer to the 52 Americans held hostage in 1979-1980. It appears that the fifteen missiles Iran launched against the Americans did not meet President Trump’s criteria for military retaliation as the missiles did not directly hit Americans. Trump did announce that America would impose “powerful sanctions” against Iran until it changed its ways. Questions
When President Trump became United States President in January 2016, ISIS (also known as the Islamic State and DAESH) controlled roughly 1/3 of Iraq and 1/3 of Syria. By the end of November, 2017, the U.S. and its allies had defeated ISIS. ISIS no longer controls any territory. While ISIS still exists as an Islamic terrorist organization, it is now unable to collect any taxes or terrorize entire towns. The defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria is a monumental success in the war on terror and it has a stabilizing effect on peace throughout the world.
ISIS has its roots in the early 2000s, when many of its founding members were part of the al Qaeda organization, once led by Osama bin Laden. In 2013, Islamic terrorists reorganized into what they called “ISIS,” or, the Islamic State in Syria. The enemies of ISIS call them DAESH, which is an acronym for ISIS but also a derogatory term in Arabic. After President Obama pulled American troops out of Iraq, ISIS took over large areas of Iraq and Syria. Initially calling ISIS the “J.V.” of terrorist groups, President Obama was forced to send back American soldiers into Iraq to take back the land American soldiers had previously won. The Classical Historian had reported the devastation ISIS had caused, not only in the Middle East but in the world. In “Syrian Refugee Crisis,” we reported that of the over 1,000,000 refugees fleeing Syria, many were in fact Islamic terrorists pretending to be refugees. In November, 2015, ISIS killed 130 people and wounded 413 in Paris, France. It was the worst attack in France since World War II. In December of 2015, two members of ISIS, an American-born Syed Farook and his Pakistani wife murdered 14 and wounded 21 in the barbarous attack on Americans in San Bernardino, California at a holiday party. On New Year’s Eve, 2015, in Cologne, Germany, over 600 German women were assaulted by Muslim immigrants from Syria. It is unknown if any of the immigrants were ISIS. In March, 2016, ISIS killed over 30 and wounded up to 230 in coordinated attacks in Brussels, Belgium. Of course, there have been countless other terrorist attacks and it is impossible to list them all. When President Trump campaigned for the Presidency, he promised that he would wage war against Muslim terrorists differently than President Obama had. Trump declared that his administration would clearly state that the terrorists were Islamic fundamentalists, and that naming clearly who the enemy was would help in the fight. President Obama’s administration refused to state that ISIS was an Islamic fundamentalist organization. Trump also stated that he would change the rules American soldiers fought under, so that they could more easily attack and defeat the terrorists. Rules of engaging the enemy has been changed, according to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, though because these rules are classified, it is impossible to know exactly how they were changed. Though ISIS remains a threat to the Middle East and to the world, their threat has been greatly diminished by the policies of the Trump administration. ISIS no longer holds any territory, is unable to terrorize large communities, and collect taxes. ISIS and other radical Muslim terrorist groups exist, but they appear to be a much lesser threat than just a few years ago. By John De Gree
Fidel Castro, Cuba and the United States of America On November 25th, 2016, one of the world’s brutal dictators, Fidel Castro, died. Fidel Castro led Cuba as its Communist dictator since 1959. During his 57-year rule, Castro was responsible for the murder, torture, and imprisonment of tens of thousands. Castro’s regime did not allow basic civil rights in Cuba such as the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. In addition, Castro did not allow Cubans to travel outside of the island and ordered his navy to kill those trying to leave by boat. Under Castro, the Cuban navy sank ships and used fire hoses to drown Cubans in the Caribbean Sea trying to escape island by boat. Cuba, 1492 – 1895 In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World for Spain, and Spain quickly colonized much of North and South America. For the next four hundred years, Spain ruled Cuba. As Spanish colonies in the New World revolted in the early 1800s and countries such as Mexico gained independence, Cuba remained loyal. In the mid to late 1800s, Cubans wanted independence from Spain and fought for many years. In the Ten Years’ War (1868-78) Cubans struggled to break away, but Spain kept control of the island. The United States of America and Cuba, 1895-1959 During the Second War for Independence (1895-98) the United States entered the war on the side of the Cubans, fighting what Americans call the Spanish-American War. The United States defeated Spain, and at the Treaty of Paris it was decided that Spain would surrender Cuba, Puerto Rico, parts of the West Indies, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. The Americans gave Cuba its independence in 1901, but the U.S. insisted on the right to have a permanent naval base on Cuba (Guantanamo Bay), and claimed the right to militarily intervene in Cuban affairs should there be unrest. Over the next 60 years, the U.S.A. militarily intervened in Cuba on numerous occasions. Cubans suffered under military dictatorships, and at times, the United States supported Cuban leaders who were undemocratic. Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973) seized power militarily in 1933, was elected Cuban President in 1940, and he made himself rich through his connections as the Cuban President. In 1944, he left office and lived in Florida. While Batista was in Florida, Cuba became unstable and corruption was rampant. The American government supported Batista’s return to power in 1952, and for the next seven years he led Cuba as dictator. Batista did not tolerate anyone going against him, controlled the media, and arrested, tortured and executed those who he believed were Communists. It is not known how many he killed, and the number historians give ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 Cubans. Cuba, 1959 – Present Day In 1959, Communist Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro overthrew Batista. The Castro government nationalized (took over) all foreign owned businesses, and eventually took over all businesses owned by Cubans, as well. Communists believe that only the government should own property, and they do not trust businesspeople. Communists are also against religion, and anyone wanting to pray to God in Cuba is punished. In the first few years of the Castro regime, the Cuban government terrorized those who did not obey. Tens of thousands of Cubans were tortured and executed because they did not want to follow the Castro regime. Che Guevara, Castro’s chief enforcer, in response to questions about Castro's firing squads, said, "To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary. These procedures are an archaic bourgeois detail. This is a revolution. And a revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate." For the next few years, the U.S.A. tried to get Cuba back into its sphere of influence, but failed. In 1961, President Kennedy approved of a plan to support a group of Cubans to invade Cuba and conquer Castro. Called “The Bay of Pigs Invasion”, it failed miserably. In 1962, America realized that the Soviet Union was building a network of nuclear missile launch sites on Cuba. After a U.S. naval blockade, the Soviet weapons were withdrawn, and the U.S. promised to never invade Cuba, again. From 1962 on, Cuba was allied with the Soviet Union, America’s enemy throughout most of the second half of the 1900s. The Soviet Union gave Cuba money, food, and a great amount of support. Cuba after the Fall of the Soviet Union In 1991, the Soviet Union fell apart and could no longer give Cuba subsidies. As a result, Cubans suffer greatly from a lack of food and basic necessities. After 50 years of Communist rule, Cuba has become a poor country run by a government that only cares about itself. The Castro brothers are much older now, but they remain rich, as the average Cuban suffers. Cubans are jailed because they oppose the Castros and the Communists, and some have been executed for their beliefs. Whoever tries to escape Cuba and is caught faces grave danger. President Obama has changed the United States policy towards Cuba from starving the Castro government to recognizing it as legitimate. President Obama thinks that increased American tourism and business will open up Cuba. Other Americans, like Senator Marco Rubio, argue that doing business with Cuba means helping the Castros stay in power. All foreign money spent in Cuba goes straight to the Communist leaders, so more American business means a richer Communist regime. The death of Fidel Castro has been met with diverse reactions from leaders in North America. President Obama wrote, "Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," in a White House statement. President-Elect Donald Trump wrote, "The world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, "Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation." It is unclear if the death of Fidel Castro will have a great impact on the lives of Cubans. His brother, 85 year old Raul Castro, is currently the Communist leader of Cuba, and he has so far followed his brother Fidel’s model of repressive leadership. Interesting Questions You Can Discuss With Your Students and Kids:
40th Anniversary of the Death of Mao Zedong
Next month marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Mao Zedong. Mao lived from 1893-1976 and is the founder of the People’s Republic of China. From the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 until Mao’s death in 1976, he ruled as the country’s autocrat, or dictator. Mao established communism in China, and is responsible for the murder of 48 – 78 million Chinese. Historians think that Mao is the greatest mass murderer in the history of the world, in terms of number of people killed. As China is the most populous country on Earth, and as Communists are against the ideals of the United States of America, it is important to understand the history of Mao. Mao grew up in one of the wealthiest families in rural China, was an avid reader, and was interested in politics. When Mao was a young man, Chinese rebels fought the emperor and attempted to change the government of China. China had been ruled by an emperor for centuries, and the rebels wanted to establish a republic. Mao joined the rebel army as a soldier. The leader of the rebels was SunYat-sen. Sun Yat-sen established the Republic of China in 1912. Unfortunately, the Republic of China had many problems and didn’t resemble the United States Republic. Mao Zedong spent the next few years studying philosophers and history and forming his political philosophy. Mao thought he was smarter than others, and that because of this he believed he didn’t have to follow a moral code. He thought that if his actions produced what he thought was good, it didn’t matter if his actions were bad. His father didn’t respect Mao’s intellectual pursuits and stopped paying for Mao’s schooling. After graduation, Mao moved to Beijing to work and continue studying under a professor he respected and became active in politics. Mao worked in the university library, and increasingly became interested in the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marx and Engels had written about communism. According to Communists, everyone should have the same amount of money, receive everything they need, and everyone should serve the state over their family. Communists hated religion, because religious people love God over the state. In 1917, the Communist Party took over in Russia, and Mao started to imagine the same thing happening in China. The Communists in Russia believed that they could do anything they wanted, even murder people, in order to get what they wanted. Russian Communists outlawed religion and murdered tens of millions of people. Mao Zedong became the leader of the Communist Party of China until his death in 1976. From the 1920s until about 1949, the Communists fought various groups in China for control. On October 1, 1949, Mao founded the People’s Republic of China. Throughout this time, Mao attempted to force China to become the country he imagined. The Communist Chinese outlawed religion, private property, freedom of speech, the right to vote, and other liberties. In order to change China into what he wanted, Mao was involved in the murder of 48 million to 78 million Chinese. We are not exactly sure of the number he killed because of problems involved in record-keeping. During the Korean War (1950-1953), the Communist North Korea fought the free South Korea, a republic. The United States of America supported the South and China supported the North. At times, Americans were fighting Chinese in Korea. Mao Zedong attempted to establish Communism throughout Korea. In 1953, the war ended with North Korea remaining Communist, and South Korea remaining a free republic. Today, American soldiers still guard South Korea from invasion by North Korea. Today, over 1.357 billion people are Chinese, and China is still officially a Communist country. In 2016, Chinese enjoy more liberties than when Mao ruled. There are also not the mass murders that existed under Mao. Still, the Communist Party in China has control over all elements of life, Chinese do not get to vote for their leaders, and they are not able to speak or write against the government. Next month marks the 40th year anniversary of the death of one of the most influential persons of the 20th century. Great Discussion Questions to Ask Your Kids
On March 22, 2016, Islamic terrorists from the organization Islamic State (also known as DAESH) killed over 30 and wounded up to 230 in coordinated attacks in Brussels, Belgium, at the international airport and a subway station. Shortly after the attacks, Islamic State’s news agency claimed responsibility. Belgian authorities think suicide bombers attacked the airport at 8 a.m. and a third suicide bomber hit a subway station at 9 a.m. Authorities are looking into the possibility of attackers who are on the run.
Days before this attack, Salah Abdeslam, one of the suspects in the November 13, 2015 attacks in Paris, had been captured in Brussels. Authorities believe that fighters in Abdeslam’s terrorist cell believed they were going to be caught soon, and this is why they may have attacked. A terrorist cell is a group of terrorists who plan attacks together. Each cell member knows each other and protects each other at all times. It is also possible that the terrorist cell members’ families hide and protect the terrorists from the authorities. What is common in a cell is that only one or two of the cell members have information regarding the wider terrorist organization. A terrorist cell is organized this way so that if one or two of the cell members are captured, it is possible the authorities can not discover information about the larger terrorist organization. World leaders of the west denounced the attacks. French President Francois Hollande was quick to denounce the attackers and signal that this was not just an attack against Belgium, but against all of Europe. Hollande stated, “Terrorism has struck Belgium, but it was Europe that was targeted and everyone is affected.” President Barack Obama, in Cuba, stated, “This is yet another reminder that the world must unite” to counter terrorist groups. The Paris terrorist attacks in 2015 placed Brussels as a center of Islamic radicalism in Europe. In November 2015, Islamic State terrorists attacked in Paris, killing 130 people and wounding hundreds. The attacks were carried out by Belgian nationals and planned in Belgium. Since those attacks, Belgian authorities have arrested over a dozen suspects. Brussels, Belgium is an important city in international affairs and is a center for western political organizations. It is the home of the European Union (EU). The European Union is the economic union of European countries. Brussels is also the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is the military alliance of Western Europe, Turkey, the United States and Canada. After World War II, the United States of America led the effort to form NATO and it provides the majority of NATO’s budget and military might. Questions
 Navy Seal Earns Medal of Honor
On Monday, February 29th, 2016, Navy SEAL Edward Byers received the Medal of Honor award. President Obama awarded Mr. Byers the highest honor a U.S. soldier can receive for his role in rescuing an American civilian held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The United States has been fighting the terrorist organization called the Taliban since 2001. Medal of Honor The United States Medal of Honor is the highest military honor an American can earn. It is awarded for acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The Medal of Honor award was created during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Congress determines who wins the award, and the President gives the award in the name of Congress. There have been 3,513 Medals of Honor awarded to the country’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen. Nearly half of them were awarded to Civil War combatants. Fourteen men have received two Medals of Honor for two separate actions. In 1963, Congress required that all Medal of Honor recipients had “distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” And, the following three circumstances must be met:
Navy SEAL Edward Byers Navy SEAL Edward Byers helped rescue American hostage Dilip Joseph, a doctor, husband and father of four, from the Taliban, who held him hostage in Afghanistan. Byers was part of Navy SEAL Team Six that entered the room where Joseph was held. The first SEAL entered the room and was shot and killed by a terrorist with an AK-47. Byers then entered the room, engaged a guard in a firefight and tackled and subdued another guard. After Joseph identified himself as American, Byers leaped across the room and flung himself on top of Joseph, protecting Joseph from the bullets with his own body. While protecting Joseph, Byers fought another terrorist and pinned him up against the wall. Byers is one of 11 living recipients of the Medal of Honor from the war in Afghanistan. Questions
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John De GreeJohn De Gree writes the current events with a look at the history of each topic. Articles are written for the young person, aged 10-18, and Mr. De Gree carefully writes so that all readers can understand the event. The perspective the current events are written in is Judeo-Christian. Receive Articles and Coupons in Your EmailArchives
February 2026
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