World War II Memory as Lasting Soft Power

Public memory of Allied sacrifice—embodied in places like Omaha Beach and American cemeteries—continues to generate gratitude and moral credibility for the United States abroad. Erosion of that memory or its moral associations (through unpopular wars or perceived dishonorable politics) reduces the reservoir of international goodwill and domestic pride that leaders draw on when asking citizens to sacrifice. — If heroic origin myths sustain both foreign sympathy and domestic legitimacy for costly policies, their erosion has consequences for foreign policy, recruitment, and civic cohesion.