World War II has been called "The Good War," which is a strange title for the bloodiest military conflict in human history.

There was so much blood, even Quentin Tarantino would've been queasy. 

So, the "Good War" might not be the best nickname for a period in history in which the methodical murder of millions of Jews and the use of nuclear weapons in the final days of war exposed the awful truth that science and technology might actually lead to the destruction of mankind.

But the supposed "good" thing about WWII is that America got involved in it for good reasons—to stop Hitler's racist atrocities and the spread of fascism. Compared to the other pointless wars we'd recently fought—cough, WWI—WWII did seem pretty noble. But nobility was hardly the whole story. Americans at home as well as soldiers on the front experienced the war as...a mixed bag, at best.

Out on the front lines of the war, America was facing new challenges and chances, too. With help from Special Forces like the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo code talkers, and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, we kicked some serious Axis tail. But our technology was changing, too, ultimately leading to one of the most controversial and devastating military decisions of the 20th century: the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As we hope you're beginning to see, World War II can't be easily summed up. We've got some stories to tell from the front lines that should prove to you how intricate and complex the war really was. In that sense, it was sort of like our tax code—overly long, a necessary evil, inciting millions of people to want to go out and get revenge.

"The Good War." You've probably seen this phrase before in reference to World War II. 

Odd, right? It's a weird way for Americans, specifically, to remember a war that took four times as many American lives as World War I, seven times as many as the Vietnam War, and a hundred times as many as the American Revolutionary War. 

So, what's good? 

Take, for instance, the fact that by war's end, Allied forces had successfully defeated Hitler's Nazi regime, preventing the Third Reich from gaining domination over all of Europe—and potentially the globe—and putting an end to some of history's most gruesome and terrifying racial crimes. 

And the war ushered in a new world order in which imperialism could no longer be sustained. In other words, immediately following the war, people long under the control of powerful colonial governments claimed their independence and the right to rule themselves. And the United States emerged from the war as one of, if not the, most powerful nations on the globe.

On the home front, WWII transformed America's culture, technology, and economy. Industry boomed to supply the Allies with weapons and transportation, and ended the Great Depression for good. Everybody, including women, immigrants, and African Americans, had more economic opportunity than ever before.

But WWII also revealed some of the ugliest, most uncool parts of our national character. 

And this is a common theme in history that continues to this day.

• Westward expansion provided more land for settlers, but the region also lacked governmental support and it was often a treacherous journey.
• Industrialization is good, but it also forces the little guys to modernize, too.
• Republican policies and Democratic policies might both sound good to their respective creators, but they may be alienating or harmful to the entire other party.

Back to WWII. America had some pretty arcane immigration policies on the books, barring Jewish immigration to America from the countries where Jews were the victims of an ongoing genocide. At first we didn't really know what was going on for Jews in Europe, but slowly we found out. And still, we did nothing to help. 

Furious? Wait, there's more: African-American soldiers could totes die for their country, but didn't have equal rights back at home, and Japanese Americans who'd built their lives here were forcibly incarcerated because they might be Japanese spies for the enemy.

America's always been solid at Jekyll and Hyde-ing it, and we wouldn't count on that changing any time soon. It's okay, facepalms are the first step to acceptance.