The Importance of Teaching Children About WWII

"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -Winston Churchill

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World War II stands as one of the darkest chapters in human history. The brutality of combat witnessed by soldiers across every theater of war, the unimaginable grief of families losing mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children, and the horrific atrocities perpetrated by Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich are some of the most devastating realities of the conflict. However, despite the immense suffering, WWII also serves as one of the most pivotal periods in our history, particularly in terms of its relevance to the world we live in today.

What makes this period even more urgent to understand is that there are still veterans who fought in the war and survivors of the Holocaust who lived through the horrors firsthand. Yet, despite the presence of these living witnesses, the lessons of WWII are barely taught in today’s classrooms. When the war is covered at all, it’s often reduced to a dry list of battles, names, and dates, stripped of the deeply human experiences that give the war its true meaning. Today’s children are often asked to memorize historical facts, but too often, they are not given the opportunity to explore the emotional and moral weight of these events. This leads to an incomplete understanding of the war’s significance.

World War II is far more than a historical event; it’s a story of how far human conflict and hatred can stretch, but also a testament to the courage, resilience, and hope that arise in the face of unimaginable evil. The war revealed the depths of hatred, but it also highlighted the extraordinary lengths to which ordinary people would go to defend liberty and protect the vulnerable. These are the values that should be passed down to the next generation. Today’s students need to understand the magnitude of this conflict and its far-reaching consequences—both the devastation and the enduring lessons that followed.

For example, the Jewish population worldwide has yet to recover from the horrors of the Holocaust. Six million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered, and entire communities were wiped off the map. Even decades later, the pain of this genocide still reverberates across generations, and the scars on survivors and their families are immeasurable. These lessons are fading with time, as the survivors themselves age and pass away. If we do not preserve these stories and their lessons, we risk allowing the world to forget the dangers of unchecked hate, discrimination, and prejudice.

Moreover, entire countries lost millions of lives during the war. It wasn’t just a time of military conflict—it was a time of profound human suffering. The cities, the communities, the cultures, and the lives lost cannot be summed up in statistics. These stories are disappearing quickly, and with them, the wisdom that history offers. The firsthand accounts of those who lived through the war—the soldiers, the civilians, the refugees, the liberators—are vanishing, and if we do not act now to preserve them, future generations will miss out on the invaluable lessons these stories can provide.

We cannot afford to let the lessons of World War II slip into obscurity. As we watch the world grapple with contemporary conflicts and the rise of divisive rhetoric, it’s clearer than ever that we must learn from the past. The stories of bravery, sacrifice, and resilience from every corner of the world must continue to be shared and celebrated. Stories like those of the Tuskegee Airmen, whose courage in the face of racial prejudice changed the course of history, and the 588th Night Bomber Regiment, the all-female Soviet unit whose efforts struck fear into the enemy under the cover of darkness. We cannot forget the Donut Dollies, American women who served as volunteers, providing comfort to soldiers on the front lines. Or the men who risked everything to hit the beaches, who flew above enemy lines, or parachuted behind enemy territory to fight for freedom.

These stories, and countless others, deserve to be told. They represent the best of humanity—bravery, sacrifice, love, and the desire for a better future. They reflect the power of individuals to rise above persecution and to stand for what is right, no matter the cost. The valor and heroism of these individuals must be remembered and passed down, not just as historical facts but as moral lessons for us all.

Today, more than ever, it is crucial that we teach the full scope of World War II to young people. We need to instill in them an understanding of the global impact of this conflict, the sacrifices made, and the lessons we can still learn. For if we forget these lessons, history is bound to repeat itself—and the world can ill afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.