A Great Generation

Most of us at or around 70 had fathers and uncles and aunts who were in World War Two. Tom Brokaw wrote a book titled "The Greatest Generation." I tried reading it two times and could never get into it. I have to take issue with Brokaw's thesis. I do not deny that generation was great and they faced many hardships. They came home after the war and did well with very little education. America prospered because America was one of the few countries that had any manufacturing capacity after the war. Our parents worked hard and things were much better for us than they were before World war Two.

But what about the generation that faced Vietnam? The combat soldiers in Vietnam faced horrific battles and some had more combat time than those in Europe during WWII. The generation coming home from Vietnam faced many more hardships after the war. Jobs were more scarce as production began leaving American shores. While WWII veterans were seen as heroes, Vietnam vets were seen as pariahs. Many companies avoided hiring them rather than saluting them. Vets were called baby killers and people spat on them when they arrived back in the states. Vets were exposed to agent orange and still live with the effects of that. So why are they not called a great generation? They served their country, risked their lives and fought in miserable conditions that were as bad as WWII.

Now what about the soldiers that fought in Iraq? Some of them served multiple tours in Iraq (five and more) and many served in Afghanistan as well. In WWII many battles were fought in open areas, battlefields. The house to house combat in towns were the most feared because the enemy could be hiding anywhere and/or all around you. Most of Iraq fighting was in towns door to door. In WWII the enemy wore uniforms so soldiers knew who was on what side. In Iraq, a soldier never knew who he was facing because every one dressed the same. In WWII a soldier could automatically shoot at anyone in a German or Japanese uniform. In Iraq, most of the time, a soldier was fired upon before he could fire. These are in my mind perhaps the greatest generation. Not just the soldiers, but also the young ones that have created the greatest ramp up of technology in the history of the world.

It is my hope that this generation as it comes into power will save America. They are strong; they are smart and I hope they are able to take back America from throttlebottom politicians, bureaucrats and big business that have come close to ruining the nation (2008 great recession). It is time for America to live up to the preamble of our constitution, the words of Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address, "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." I know that this is a tall order and in many ways has never really come to fruition, but I have the hope this generation can and will do it. They have a good start and if they succeed they will be not just America's Greatest Generation, but the world's greatest!