Cam,

Big ups on the time and effort you put into writing this lenghty account for those who weren't there.

However, I just need to question your implication that "our forebears" were fighting fascism and that WW2 was a good war.

If anything, our forebears were fighting FOR fascism (though they wouldn't have realised it). The arguments used to justify WW2 are similar to those used to justify the Iraq war. Both wars were/are being fought for control of wealth and resources. Also, The Allied governments quickly used remanants of the Nazi regime and their collaborators to put down any socialist uprisings in Europe following the end of WW2.

Here you will find a great piece about the myth of the Good War by Mickey Z: www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8815.htm

It's great you mentioned the US invasion of the Philippines as it's oone of the many less well known instances of the US using its military to "liberate" others and promote "freedom".