The Greatest Generation

Pearl Harbor; the treacherous incident that "awakened the sleeping Giant."  The "Giant" in question was of course the United States of America.  Our entry into WWII changed the world forever in many ways, both good and bad.

My parents were of the Greatest Generation, and taught both my brother and me innumerable lessons of great value; personal sacrifice and perseverance being the two most important.  Both have served me well to date, but both are played out against a world backdrop that's radically different than the world of the 1940's.  Looking at the Arizona Memorial above, my mind's eye superimposes the remains of the Twin Towers atop the sunken hull in Pearl Harbor; I can truly relate to what my parents endured, in other words.

I just wish today's generations would show a little more backbone when dealing with our modern problems; their inability or refusal to do so makes a mockery of that great sunken hull and all that it stands for.  Item: just as we entered WWII, the Greatest Generation faced a Moslem terrorist threat identical to today's climate, but they dealt with the problem swiftly and effectively, rounding up a bunch of known terrorists and executing all but two in the group.  The corpses were further degraded with gallons of pigs' blood, before the two survivors were released with a stern "this will happen to the rest of you lot if you don't get your shit together NOW."  It was a good 25 years before the Moslems felt bold enough to challenge the interdiction.

It bothers me no end that the US could hardly respond to a world conflagration today the way we did during the Greatest Generation's heyday immediately post-Pearl; we simply don't have the same manufacturing and/or military infrastructure now that we had then, let alone unanimous patriotism, passion for Liberty, personal fortitude, iron resolve, etc. etc. As such, a theoretical WWIII would not augur well for us, IMHO.  Oh, the situation can be corrected provided we have both the heavy patience and strong incentive to do what needs to be done {like the GG did}, but positive changes won't happen overnight; this isn't an "instant gratification" issue.  And I very much fear today's society is too far gone on said instant gratification.

The Greatest Generation wasn't like that at all - they achieved their goals the right way through hard work, fierce determination, a clear focus, and much personal sacrifice, including the Ultimate one.  After Pearl Harbor, they stoically endured both the Holocaust and the equally horrible dawn of the Nuclear age, drawing courage and incredible strength solely from their convictions, period.  And after WWII they labored for the rest of their days  to ensure that the hard lessons they learned would pass down to their offspring.  How ironic that the Holocaust has morphed into Constitutionally-protected genocide {30 million abortions annually}, and the nuclear threat has morphed into the more subtle but equally-devastating conditions implied by today's rampant political correctness / entitlement mentality.  

Was the Greatest Generation's hard work and true selflessness - symbolized by that sunken hull in a lovely Hawaiian Harbor - all in vain, in the long run?  The jury's still out, but I for one am not about to let the final answer be "yes," if there is any possible way I can help it.  It's the least I can do, given all that went before.

I Honor the Arizona every day of my life - how 'bout y'all?

More shortly............