I agree. At dad's funeral, my cousin Steve stood up to speak for a couple moments. He said that exact same thing. There will never be another generation like that one. I'll have to ad-lib a little, I don't remember it all, but it went something like this: Guys were lining up around the block at recruitment centers, begging for a chance to serve. Kids were lying about their age and in dad's case, their nationality. Some sadly even committed suicide because they were refused for oddball medical issues. Dad, like so many other young recruits, grew up in the Great Depression. His father's garden (actually a very small farm) was a huge part of the family's food source, and all the kids were required to do their share of the chores each day. Many came from huge families, another custom of that day, and never had things like telephones, an indoor bathroom, a phone, or a spare dime. They had no credit, no job, no food, no hope. But they believed in an America that most of their lives had given them nothing but unemployment and going hungry. They believed in this dream of freedom so much that they were willing to fight for it. And fight they did. Young kids fresh out of high school (many never even graduated: had to quit early to work the farm...) going off to war to fight an enemy that outnumbered them, were better trained, better equipped and 10 thousand miles away. And many never came home. Americans never asked for any praise, any thanks, or any money from any of the countries we saved. All we did ask for was a small plot of land big enough to bury those brave souls that gave their all for the freedom many countries enjoy today.
You could have heard a pin drop at that funeral when cousin Steve sat down.
Even as a small boy, I was always proud that my dad fought for this country and to this day I have an appreciation for anybody that puts on that uniform.
If there was one thing I wish I could go back and change, it would be the day the USAA insurance denied my dad the opportunity to purchase insurance from them because they said he did not qualify as a veteran according to their standards... something about the amount of time he served. How sad.
