They are the descendants of the most oppressive empire since the Romans.
And pray tell, which countries have we enslaved?
The writer better grow a backbone. Otherwise, the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the freedom the world enjoys now is diminished horribly.
Oh, give us a break, as you Americans say. The USA didn't join the war in Europe until after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Americans who fought in Europe deserve our admiration, but they were also doing it to defend their own country's liberty in the future. The war between the NAZIS and the USSR was what really saved Britain's bacon, not that I have any admiration whatsoever for the Soviets or Stalin. But the fact is, Britain's "darkest hour" as Churchill called it, had already been and gone before the USA joined WWII. If Britain and the USSR had been beaten, which great country do you think the NAZIS would have been threatening next?
We thank you for your country's financial help before it joined the war, and its military aid after the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, bear in mind that the USA insisted that the economic aid that helped the British war effort - be paid back in full. I hear that Britain will not finish paying it back until 2006. Therefore, it can not be said that the USA helped Britain out of pure altruism.
After the war ended, the USA was allowed its pick of British territories to plant cold war bases upon. Britain's loyalty during the cold war was one of the few things successive American administrations could count upon. Thus the USA also benefited greatly from its relationship with Britain during the cold war. If Britons had ended up speaking Russian, then your country's national security would have been seriously damaged.
As for saving our "great-grandparents' butts", the USA only came into WWI when the Germans were already loosing. America also benefited financially from WWI at Britain's expense, the British Empire was fatally wounded by that war. The USA declared war on Germany on the 6th of April, 1917, whereas Britain fought with Germany from the 4th of August, 1914 until the 11th of November, 1918. The USA certainly helped to lower British casualties, but it hardly single-handedly won WWI. Also the number of casualties it suffered in WWI were a fraction of those that Britain suffered, sorry to burst your bubble.