Alexander A. Vandegrift’s accomplishments during World War II came near the end of almost four decades of service in the United States Marine Corps.

In December 1942, a week before Christmas, the Allied governments issued a statement exposing a monstrous chain of events in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Concessions in diplomatic negotiations were nothing new, but after Munich, appeasement took on a new meaning. 

In WWII’s aftermath, July 4 also became Independence Day for the Philippines in 1946.

Read excerpts from some of the winning essays, which contemplate America's role as the world's "Arsenal of Democracy" from World War II to the present.