I am a post World War II "baby boomer". I was born and raised within a ten mile radius of the Nation's capital. No matter what direction I looked, I could see and feel history and patriotism all around me. I was living in an area that was haunted by the spirits of those men and women who made our Nation great. The words of Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson are learned in early school years in Virginia. I can almost picture a lone sentinel standing watch along the banks of the Potomac River. On a quiet night the voices of soldiers still echo across the battlefields at Bull Run. The statue honoring the men at Iwo Jima was a daily sight.
Walking through the cemetery at Arlington is a holy experience honoring good men and women who were proud "to give their full measure of devotion" to their country.
As with many children born in the 40's, I grew up hearing stories about World War II. The end of the war brought a great renewal of the American spirit. America was on the move, new products were being invented, housing production soared. Things in general were good, but the end of World War II also brought the "bomb" and the real threat of destruction in wars to come.
I can remember older cousins and friends going far away to fight in a place I had never heard about...Korea. I would hear my parents and teachers talking about how many people had died and how many were wounded. War and the fear it bought were a part of every day life.
As I think back on my school days, I can recall the air raid drills that became a weekly ritual. How we were herded into the interior hallways of the school because it was "safer". How we were instructed to "run, duck, and cover" if we were outside. I really wonder if any of the teachers knew then how futile these efforts would have been if we were ever the target of an "atomic bomb". Who can ever forget the sound of a Civil Defense siren wailing...just a test... but, maybe, the next time it would not be. Thank God for my teddy bears.
The "police action" in Korea finally came to an end and the people vowed never again would an American service man or woman die to protect a foreign shore. The vow was broken a short decade later.
The late '50's and early '60's were a time of turbulence. Political unrest was spreading though the country. Another foreign land needed our military assistance. The Nation was divided by those who thought "war" was a good idea and those who wanted no part of another "Korea". No one was without an opinion. Viet Nan was another killing field for young men.
High school graduation is normally a time when a teenager goes out into the world and starts to become a "man". In the '60's, a young man became a Selective Service number instead. This was a high stakes lottery where you would hoped your number was never drawn. These young men where MY generation. Many had no desire to fight for an unknown cause, in an unfamiliar place, with little preparation. For most of them, the only physical training came as a result of football training or some other sport. There was no desire to kill anyone or anything. The government offered a few short weeks of "boot camp" and then you went to war.
New soldiers were sent off to war in an "assembly line" method to replace the ones that had fallen before them.
The war in Viet Nam touched the lives of millions. It scared the lives of countless families for generations yet to come. Sadly, the war is not over for many...the horrors of war are still being re-lived in their minds and hearts. As the war in Viet Nam slowly dragged to an end, more and more Americans tired of hearing the news about the killing and maiming of young soldiers. Political pundants seemed to think that the discussion of the war needed to come to an end. Our young men and women returned to a society that did not rejoice in their return, but blamed them for the way the war ended.The Nation has now become apathetic...they no longer wish to remember the brave men and women who fought to protect a cause...just or unjust...so far away from their homes and loved ones.
