My father was a U.S. Marine who fought in the Pacific during WWII.

Shortly after Pearl Harbor he enlisted.

Dad never talked about combat. He told my brothers and me about crossing the equator and his trip to New Zealand on leave.

When I was about 12, Dad told me a little about the battle of Tarawa. He said he was in the second wave to hit the beach. Then added, “If I had been in the first wave you wouldn’t be here because the entire first wave was wiped out.”

Dad died in 1973 with grenade fragments still in his body.

I better understood Dad’s experience when I saw historic footage of the Marines leaving their landing crafts and wading in waist deep water to the beach under enemy fire. There was no place to hide. I wondered how many of his friends died in that battle.

Dad was proud to be a U.S. Marine. I concluded he loved his family, his country and the liberty we have. That likely was the motivation for him and other veterans to put their lives on the line. They could see what was happening in Europe and knew the threat to life and liberty was real. It was better to fight it overseas than wait until it reached our shores.

We have a unique country. From its very beginnings. people have been willing to fight and die to protect our freedoms and save the lives of others.

Stories of acts of heroism in battle are common. Freedom is never free. Memorial Day is a good time to remember and be thankful to those who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy the liberties we have.

The United States was fighting evil in WWII. Countries were invaded and innocent civilians killed. Hitler murdered 6 million Jewish people. Others died in concentration camps.

Evil is still in the world today. We see it in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, mass shootings and the increase in violent crime in our country.

We see it when people in positions of power use it to hurt others and destroy lives. We hear of people in positions of trust like pastors, teachers or parents who molest or abuse those in their care.

It is all angering and frustrating because we can feel powerless to do anything about it.

During WWII my father and uncles enlisted like millions of others to fight the evil.

My mother like many women in the “Greatest Generation” worked in factories to provide the ships, tanks, airplanes, guns, uniforms and rations our troops needed to fight the enemy.

They didn’t have super powers like Captain America or Guardians of the Galaxy. These were normal, everyday folks who loved their family, friends, country and liberty. They did extraordinary things. Love is more powerful than hate. On the battlefield or the home front everyone was on the same team fighting a common enemy, evil. Here is one of many examples:

In WWII the USA was the primary source of fuel and equipment for the Allies. The USA had resources and manufacturing capability. It was difficult for Germany or Japan to attack mainland USA.

At that time the USA had 60% of the world’s crude oil. Germany had limited domestic production. Most of the USA’s oil was in Texas and Oklahoma. Most of the refining and manufacturing was in or close to the Shale Crescent USA.

Most petroleum products were transported by ocean going tankers from the Gulf Coast to the northeast.

When WWII started, German U Boats quickly sank 12 U.S. tankers, shutting down ocean transportation from the Gulf Coast. The U.S. still used tankers to ship fuel to Europe from the East Coast in easier to defend convoys. East Coast refiners were receiving 300,000 barrels per day by boat.

When oil had to be shipped over land by rail and river barge, only 140,000 barrels per day could be shipped.

To maintain oil flow, the U.S. government funded the construction of the largest pipeline ever built up to that time. It passed through 10 states connecting Baytown, Texas to Linden, New Jersey. It was actually two pipelines running parallel along he same route. A 24-inch carrying crude oil and a 20-inch carrying refined petroleum products.

Construction started in June 1942 and completed exactly one year later in 1943. It was a huge engineering and construction accomplishment. An example of teamwork and cooperation on many levels. Today it would take years just to get permits.

The pipelines delivered more than 500,000 barrels of oil per day for the war effort. Historians claim WWII could not have been won without these pipelines.

They are still in use today., the first of many pipelines from the northeast to the Gulf Coast.

When fighting evil there is never a single magic solution. The pipelines were one of many reasons we defeated evil in WWII.

It took brave soldiers on the battlefield. It took many women who worked outside their homes for the first time doing “man’s work” exceptionally well. It took Americans buying War Bonds and making sacrifices. Americans loving their families, country and liberty put aside their differences and united against a common enemy, evil. It took leadership at all levels to organize them into teams against real enemy, evil.

Abundant affordable domestic energy is one of many things required for freedom. Europe lost some of theirs when they became dependent on Russia for much of their energy. We can’t afford to follow Europe’s example. We need to come together. How would our heroes who fought and died in WWII feel about the discord going on today? It is time to do what we did during WWII and unite against the real enemy, evil. Love of family, country and freedom can unite us again. Working together we will find the solutions we need to win. Love is more powerful than hate. Turning to God is a good place to start.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is a high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and numerous published articles.