This is asking for a lot, but it rings true: We need a new “Greatest Generation” to seize control of their futures and ensure the United States’ status as the world’s most powerful nation.
With Memorial Day upon us, there’s no better time than now not only to thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also to commit to triumph over turbulent times and contentious issues in order to maintain American greatness.
Former network broadcaster Tom Brokaw paid homage to those who served in his 1998 book, “The Greatest Generation,” a history of the World War II era. Brokaw saw these Americans as those who fought in WWII and those who contributed at home, enduring rationing and other sacrifices.
We never heard them ask for praise and recognition. Instead, they asked for us to always remember the nation they fought to save.
We must always remember and thank the 291,557 U.S. soldiers who were killed in WWII, as well as their families.
I call upon the graduating Class of 2021 – and all Americans – to re-create the selfless spirit of those who won WWII and built a great nation, and to become the new Greatest Generation. I ask you to do the same, and at a time when seemingly every field of endeavor is changing faster than ever.
The enemies today are not Japan, Italy and Germany. Instead, they are domestically produced, such as global warming – and that clock is ticking; the nation’s political divide; a growing antigovernment sentiment that’s exemplified by angry radio and television public affairs programs; social justice; the high costs of higher education and health care; the misuse of tech through such evil techniques such as ransomware; an economy that doesn’t work for all; rebuilding the middle class and more.
But we’re not a broken nation. We’re simply unfinished and always striving not to become perfect, but to become a “more perfect union,” as enumerated in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
Many students in the Class of 2021 have demonstrated they have the right stuff, bravely carrying on despite the pandemic’s damage to society – including the death of close to 600,000 Americans.
They’ve attended scaled-down graduation ceremonies, or none at all; they’ve watched as internship and job opportunities have vanished; they endured online classes; and their final year of college was less than it could have been.
Brokaw also said in his book that it was the greatest generation ever because they did their duty because it was the right thing to do, not to gain fame or recognition.
So what happened? When did we sacrifice solid American values and instead start wallowing in greed and self-centeredness? It may have been in the late 1900s, when the self-sacrifice and teamwork that helped the United States to persevere began disintegrating into blatant materialism. Today, the robber barons of the late 1890s look like saints.
How did we get so far off track? Maybe it’s because people debate such topics as scientific facts or simple truths every minute of every day on social media.
There’s a crying need for Americans of all ages to step up and live the noble ideals that carried us through tough times – not just World War II, but also historical benchmarks such as the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, the 9/11 attacks, Watergate, the Vietnam War, the Iraq War, the assassinations of President Kennedy and his brother Bobby as well as of Martin Luther King Jr., and more.
Let’s continue to share our talents overseas, offering the latest techniques in such areas as producing safe drinking water, operating a farm and vaccinating everyone against COVID (19).
On the home front, we need new volunteers to work in our schools, civic organizations and charities, and to help revitalize our communities.
We need parents to run for school boards and to help their kids with homework.
We also need courageous community leaders who will help local governments manage the public’s business without fear of mean-spirited personal attacks.
We need people to help tutor at-risk kids and to register new voters.
It took a foreigner to point out a truth about us. Winston Churchill said, “You can always count on Americans doing the right thing, once they’ve exhausted every other possible alternative.”
Are you ready to grab the baton, Class of 2021? Show us you’ve got the right stuff and that war is not the only way to prove greatness.
Jim Martin can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com
"Opinion" - Google News
May 29, 2021 at 11:51PM
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Opinion: Jim Martin: A call to emulate the greatest, selfless generation - Boulder Daily Camera
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