Churchill Has Been Gone 50 Years, but His Spirit Lives on in Us

Fifty years ago today, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, historian, writer and Nobel Laureate in Literature, passed away, aged 90, in his London home. January 24, 1965. As Britain's prime minister during much of World War II, Churchill rallied his people behind their sacred democracy. His dogged resistance to Nazism's rampage across Europe was the beacon of civilization in the Nazi night. His rousing speeches and radio addresses lifted and maintained the besieged British spirit. The 'British Bulldog' won, leading his nation to victory – and he is roundly regarded as one of the twentieth century's monumental figures. ~~~~~ Churchill is a treasure trove of unforgettable comments : *"If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." *"We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." *"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." *"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." *"Some people like the Jews and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world.” Winston Churchill was not a shy man. He knew his worth, his place in history. But he accepted it with a wry humor : "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it." ~~~~~ Dear readers, in these days that are so reminiscent of Europe in the 1930s ~~ when politicians and citizens alike were sure they could cut a deal with Hitler that would save them without costing them another war - when Roosevelt believed he could get along with a France cut in two and largely ruled by Nazi-led Vichy - when the tenets of western civilization were offered as a sacrifice in the hope of appeasing barbarians in their midst -- one man knew better. When Churchill said "without victory there is no survival," it was not an idle thought. When he said "we shall never surrender," he knew the price of victory and the cost of failure. Today, there are barbarians in our midst. They demand that we sacrifice our human and cultural and political values. They believe we are weak...effete...as Hitler thought of our grandparents. They were blessed to have Winston Churchill on their side. Who is our generation's Churchill? Somewhere, he or she exists. What jolting event will bring our 21st century Churchill forth? How long will we have to wait, semi-cowering, semi-lost, semi-defeated, before the seminal event arouses us out of our false sense of brotherhood toward the barbarians and turns our appeasement into determination to save ourselves and our civilization. Few people have been called the savior of their nation. Only one person is worthy of being called the one who saved the world. Churchill. Where is our Churchill? He is actually in each of us - our sense of duty and personal responsibility, our love of freedom, our mission to pass our democratic and cultural values on to our children and grandchildren. If there is no singular Churchill coming to help us, then we must build a collective Churchill of values that will bind us together in the difficult and long work ahead. For "without victory there is no survival." That is why "we shall never surrender."