Scott’s View: World War II and Desert Storm Anniversaries

In our cover story, we mark the 75th anniversary next week of our victory in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. This win was no easy feat. Over 500,000 American soldiers fought successfully for over a month in Europe, suffering more than 80,000 casualties, including 19,000 dead.

"This is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war and will, I believe, be regarded as an ever-famous American victory," said British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill at the time.

With all eyes on the Middle East lately, we also want to recognize two other anniversaries that mark the service and sacrifice of our fellow Americans in that region. Twenty-nine years ago, on January 17, Operation Desert Storm began. Our efforts there resulted in successfully expelling Iraq from Kuwait. And 39 years ago, on January 19, the 52 American hostages held at the American Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days of captivity.