Twenty years ago, during the Reagan administration, I encountered a young producer at National Public Radio who said she and her husband had decided not to have children because they were convinced they’d die in a nuclear war.

Immediately, I told her, “Please, have children. There’s not going to be a nuclear war.” I have no idea what she did.

Today, I might give the same advice, but not so swiftly. Children born into the 21st century face a far more perilous future than those in the 20th century – partly because adults now seem to lack the courage and wisdom to protect them.

After allowing the Nazis and Japanese to overrun Europe and much of Asia, the civilized world, led by the United States, fought for five years and lost 16 million soldiers (including 407,000 Americans) to conquer the enemy.

Determined to avoid such a catastrophe again, civilization united to resist global communism, and it spent vast treasure to do so for 45 years. In the process, the United States lost 54,000 lives in Korea and 58,000 in Vietnam.