Speech at the Veteran's Hall by Jonathan Nathaniel Young.
War, war never changes.
In the year 1945, my great-great-grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish, when the U.S. ended World War II by dropping an atomic cloud on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world awaited Armageddon.
Instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy, not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power. People enjoyed luxury once thought in the realm of science fiction. Domestic robots, fusion-powered cars, portable computers. Then, in the 21st century, people awoke from the American dream. Years of consumption led to the shortages of every major resource. The entire world unravelled. Peace became a distant memory.
It is now the year 2077, and we stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid, for myself, for my wife and for my infant son. Because if my time in the army taught me one thing; it's that war, war never changes.