The Great Depression left a mark on every American. They were a fiercely independent lot. The depression was a sucker punch to the gut of everyone, but not a permanent calamity; everyone worked through the hard times doing whatever they could to raise their children and pursue a life of happiness. FDR gave them hope and he spoke eloquently to the people, and they loved him because he had sincere empathy for their plight, but these Americans were not downtrodden by nature. The great American dream was still alive.
Then Pearl Harbor unified Americans as nothing else could. The selflessness of every citizen to work for the war effort was beyond description. My mother had just graduated from high school. She moved to Washington DC, got a room in a downtown boarding house, and took a job in the Pentagon as a secretary. She was 18. She was typical of her generation. Every man, woman and child was dedicated to the war effort- the men and women went to war and women went to the factories making planes, ships, tanks, and trucks. Children scoured the neighborhoods for recyclable products- metal, rubber, glass, tin cans, even string and rope. They lived with everything rationed- food, rubber, gas, silk- if it had a war use it was rationed. They made many sacrifices and they did all this willingly without whining or protesting.
Their bonds to each other were sealed strong and deep through all this common adversity. For the Greatest Generation every day is Memorial Day. They live a modest life modestly- rooted in their depression era upbringing, war rationing and unthinkable sacrifices of lives. They hold their lost loved ones close to their hearts and memories- in their own private way they continue to mourn discretely and without being noticed. For everyone else, Memorial Day is our remembrance of their sacrifices. We owe them our lives. We owe them a Memorial Day.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment