Remembering War's True Cost Is Our Strongest Shield Against New Conflicts

Marking VE Day or saluting local heroes, we share war stories so the young never accept conflict as normal.

- Gary Lit

As Europe marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day this week — commemorating Germany's surrender on May 8, 1945 — there will be the expected ceremonies, solemn pledges of "never again", and reflections on lessons learnt.

Yet as a war historian observing these events, I wonder: Do contemporary generations here in Singapore and across much of our region, those who have never experienced conflict first-hand nor interacted with active participants or victims of war, truly understand war's devastating reality?

Beyond the tales of valour and the drama of battles won and lost lies an abyss of human suffering — the senseless loss of countless lives.

These war anniversaries — VE Day now, and the upcoming commemoration in September marking Japan's surrender in Asia — inevitably bring to mind the anguish of current conflicts, particularly the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

With Ukraine, the sense of loss is deeply personal for me.

As a visiting professor at Ukrainian universities, I've had the privilege of teaching many brilliant students in the country over the years.

Alexis and Sergey, whom I taught from 2015 to 2017, were among my most exceptional — unfailingly courteous, offering insightful comments that sparked meaningful discussions and occasional laughter in class.

Both young men possessed deep knowledge of their country's history.

While showing me around Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk), they shared stories of their ancestors' bravery during World War II — Alexis' grandfather swimming across the Dnipro River under German machine gun fire to single-handedly destroy an enemy unit, and Sergey's granduncle continuing to fight despite serious injuries from a grenade explosion before enduring a harsh prisoner of war camp in the bitter Russian winter.

Tragically, I was told in 2024 that both Alexis and Sergey had been killed in action after being mobilised to defend Ukraine against Russian forces.