Today, the New York Young Republican Club proudly commemorates 80 years since the United States of America triumphed in the European theater of World War II. Duty called on a cold December morning when Japan mercilessly attacked the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. All across the United States, Americans rose to meet their moment, reorienting society into a state of total war against Japan, Germany, and their allies. Courage, strength, honor, bravery, and patriotism rang through every home from coast to coast. With a rifle in one hand and the Stars and Stripes in the other, American patriots stormed the beaches of Normandy, raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and defeated Hitler’s stormtroopers at the Battle of the Bulge.
The proud history of the American People in World War II must be not just remembered, but rather woven into the fabric of our Nation and its self-identity. More than 250,000 Americans fought and died in those years for the difference between right and wrong. Over 16 million took up arms. Today, their memories must be cherished and protected. World War II was a battle between good and evil; the American ideal of freedom demonstrated its might on an unparalleled scale, delivering eight decades of global hegemony and prosperity. Today, let us not lose sight of the values and determination of the brave men and women who came before us. Let us rekindle their flames in our hearts as we make the America of our children as great as the America of our Greatest Generation.
We honor today the courage and sacrifice of the members of the New York Young Republican Club who fought for our freedoms. “We’ll start the war from right here!” were the immortal words of New York Young Republican Club alumnus Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt III as he landed on Utah Beach. Brig. Gen. Roosevelt was the oldest man on the ground on D-Day; he would succumb to a heart attack just one month later. With him, about 250 members of our historic Club fought for the Stars and Stripes between 1941 and 1945. Fifty more served on the home front in government positions directly connected with the war effort.
The New York Young Republican Club mourns the lives of our members who fought and died to save our way of life in World War II:
- PO1 John W. Burke of the Navy Reserve (1/19/1945).
- Maj. Robert W. Canfield of the Army Air Corps (9/15/1907 – 8/12/1943).
- Capt. William Bradford Hubbell of the Army Air Corps (9/20/1902 – 11/4/1943).
- 2nd Lt. Arthur S. Malena of the Army (7/23/1909 – 4/11/1944).
- Capt. Daniel B. McCook of the Army (6/27/1915 – 7/31/1944).
- Capt. Raymond R. Polk of the Army (11/26/1912 – 10/1/1944).
- Capt. Samuel S. Poor, Jr. of the Army Air Corps (10/18/1912 – 8/25/1943).
- Lt. Maurice B. Quint of the Navy (11/27/1904 – 5/11/1945).
- Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt III of the Army (9/13/1887 – 7/12/1944).
Their stories are our stories; our freedoms are their legacy. May their memories be a blessing.