In a poignant and sobering interview, 100-year-old WWII veteran Carl Spurlin Dekel shared his profound disappointment with the state of America today. Dekel, who recently celebrated his centennial birthday, expressed deep regret that the country he once fought to defend has strayed far from the ideals he and his fellow soldiers sacrificed for.
Dekel, a U.S. Marine, told Fox 13 news that the America he once knew has disappeared. “People don’t realize what they have. The things we did and the things we fought for and the boys that died for it, it’s all gone down the drain.” He lamented the loss of the country he grew up in, noting, “We haven’t got the country we had when I was raised, not at all. Nobody will have the fun I had. Nobody will have the opportunity I had. It’s just not the same, and that’s not what our boys died for.”
Dekel’s lament came on the same day the U.S. lost its final surviving Medal of Honor recipient from WWII, Hershel “Woody” Williams. Williams, also a Marine, was honored for his heroism during the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. In a touching tribute, his fellow Medal of Honor recipients remembered Williams as a true American hero, both on the battlefield and in his tireless advocacy for veterans and Gold Star families.
Despite the melancholy tone of Dekel’s words, Williams’ fellow recipients expressed hope that the patriotic spirit Dekel once knew could be revived. During a Memorial Day interview, Williams had shared his own optimism, noting that he had seen more honor wreaths laid that year than ever before, a sign that “we’re coming back and that we will again be that United States of America that had so much patriotism and love of country.”
As the last of the Greatest Generation passes, their stories and sacrifices serve as a poignant reminder of the principles that once defined America. While Dekel’s lament may be a difficult truth to confront, it is a call to action for a new generation to reignite the flame of patriotism and reclaim the ideals that their forebears fought and died to preserve.
The bittersweet farewell of these two WWII heroes, Dekel and Williams, offers a profound lesson for all Americans. Their service and sacrifice remind us that the freedoms we enjoy today were hard-won, and that it is our responsibility to honor their legacy by upholding the values they fought to defend. As we reflect on their stories, let us be inspired to rekindle the spirit of patriotism and ensure that their sacrifices were not made in vain.
