Let’s Analyze the Greatest Generation

I hope I am not out of line here, but here’s how I see it.

Tom Brokaw wrote a book immortalizing the generation that fought in WWII.

It caught on and did well, despite my trying three times to read it.

There were countless sacrifices made by those men and women who fought.

There were also sacrifices made by those who lived on the home front.

I take nothing away from any of them.

However, here’s how I see it.

Soldiers in Europe from the Normandy invasion until the end of the war put little more than one year in combat.

Yesterday’s generation who fought in Vietnam put in at least 13 months in combat.

Some put in multiple tours there.

The young men who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan put in as many as four or five years in combat, day after day in their tours, much more than soldiers in Europe.

WWII soldiers came home to parades and accolades, Vietnam vets came home to taunts and jeers.

Iraq and Afghanistan vets came or come home to little or no fanfare at all.

Soldier’s families of today suffer as much or more than WWII families.

Those of us in the Vietnam generation also faced tough economic times after the war that WWII vets did not have to deal with.

Those of us in the Vietnam generation and over 50 have had to take care of and support our children longer because of the economic times and at the same time take care of WWII parents who needed long term care. I do not believe this has ever occurred in U. S. history.

I do not mean to complain; I just wonder how the Tom Brokaw Greatest Generation was any better than the Vietnam generation or the current Iraq, Afghanistan generations.

If you have something to share on this point, let me know if I am misdirected or just missing something.