A long-overdue tribute to the Greatest Generation

By Anthony Stahelski
Special to The Times

EVAN VUCCI / AP A view of the National World War II Memorial from the Washington Monument.

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The memorial and dedication are long overdue: WW II ended 59 years ago, and in this entire time there has been no memorial honoring all those who served during the war. Although this shameful neglect is finally ending, it is too late for most WW II veterans. Of the 16 million Americans who served in WW II, only 4 million are still alive, and of all the original members of their generation, only a small portion remain. Those who remain are in their 70s, 80s and 90s, and thousands are dying every day.

Consequently, although the memorial ostensibly honors the passing generation, the real purpose of the memorial is to remind the rest of us of the debt that we owe them, and to serve as a symbolic guide for future foreign and military policy.

These veterans are a part of a generation often called the "Greatest Generation," a title they earned. Initially, the members of this generation, born approximately between 1910 and 1930, were probably no different from Americans who came before or after them. Their parents wanted increased opportunities for their children, and they themselves looked forward to their particular versions of the American Dream.

The economic catastrophe called the Great Depression postponed and sometimes eliminated the dreams of their childhood and youth. Children and young people growing up in the Depression did not have the wealth, leisure time and freedom that middle-class American children and youth have now. Instead, they helped their families survive. They learned en masse the value of hard work, thrift and sacrifice for the good of the group. They had no expectations that anything would be given to them, and nothing was given to them.

In hindsight, the Great Depression turned out to be both physical and psychological training for their participation in WW II, a major turning point in history.

Most Americans acknowledge that this generation successfully fought and won WW II. Referring to the consequences of their victory, President Clinton in 1995 stated, "The World War II generation saved the world."

This accomplishment alone would be enough to earn the title Greatest Generation and our eternal gratitude, given the alternative: Hitler wins the war and his successors dominate the planet to this day.

However, our debt to members of this generation is even greater because their accomplishments did not end in 1945. In the years following their WW II victory, they achieved two additional remarkable accomplishments. After they defeated fascism, their Cold War leadership led to their second accomplishment, the eventual defeat of communism between 1948 and 1991, allowing millions of people to experience democracy for the first time.

Their third accomplishment laid the economic foundation for the American middle class. Using their Depression-tempered work ethic, their victory-inspired self-confidence, their ingenuity and the GI Bill, between 1945 and 1970 they created the economic engine that led to the richest society in the history of the world. The cornucopia they created benefited Americans and everyone else, because since 1945 we have given, loaned and invested billions of dollars around the world.

Arguably, these three accomplishments improved life for more people than any other accomplishments in the history of humanity. I believe it is not too much to say that a high percentage of the people alive now on this planet owe their freedom, rights and improved standard of living to the efforts and sacrifices of this generation.

	Anthony Stahelski

However, despite their accomplishments, the Greatest Generation did not permanently eliminate human evil. Powerful men who desire to enslave the world still exist. Therefore, we cannot truly pay homage to this generation unless we carry on the work that it started: eliminating dictatorships and extremism, spreading democracy and the rule of law, and raising the standard of living of everyone in the world. Only then can we say that the sacrifices and efforts of the Greatest Generation were not in vain.

These wonderful Americans are our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Their passing takes something precious from our lives, but we can be with them in spirit by honoring them in our thoughts and deeds.

Anthony Stahelski is a professor of psychology and director of the Organization Development Program at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.