Doolittle Raiders

[usmcsnco]

Well you couldn't be anymore wrong in your guess about me. Get over yourself, if you served in WWII, good for you, you did what 85% were forced to do, facts are facts you know. I wonder if you were 18 today if you be volunteering to go to Afghanistan? Hope you are not a wannabe, hitching your star to the trigger pullers who did the heaven lifting, those are the worst. HS

HS:

Well, I guess I was wrong, no big deal there as I don't know you from Adam and my opinion was based upon the statements that you made. For he record you are wrong as well. Had you taken a moment to actually read and comprehend the post I made, you would have seen in the opening paragraph I believe where I stated that I was the son of a WWII vet.
In any case, all that is not important. As to who I am...I am a career military guy and still serving in some capacity. No wannabe here.
I simply suggest that you do some soul searching on this whole issue and give those who deserve it the most some respect.

 

[Daver1963]

From a military point of view I think each generation that has been called upon to fight has been the greatest generation and that is whether they volunteered or were drafted. When it came down to the business of war they fought.

From a total war point of view, that is military + civilian, I think why the World War II era was called the greatest is because how EVERYONE fought for a common cause and everyone sacrificed for that common cause. It is also the most recent in history to have been that way. With that in mind I think World War I could be comparable.

I have seen the argument or questioning as to why the generation of the War Between the States (or the Civil War as some call it) couldn't be called the "Greatest Generation" just due to the number of casualties and the total civilian involvement. In my opinion it would be because we were fighting each other. It wasn't a common cause for the whole nation, whole states, counties, or even families. It was literally brother against brother in some cases.

In all other wars there can be no doubt to the bravery of the fighting men and women of the United States military. As I stated above, I think they were all great in their time. However, if you count the totalness of military + civilian the other generations don't quite measure up to the World Wars generations. Due to the smaller/limited scale of warfare in Korea and Vietnam there just wasn't the same sacrifices put upon or asked of the civilian population as before. As far as everything after Vietnam and especially Iraq & Afghanistan I heard a very suitable saying from the military which was "America didn't go to war. The military went to war and America went to the mall."

 

[usmcsnco]

From a military point of view I think each generation that has been called upon to fight has been the greatest generation and that is whether they volunteered or were drafted. When it came down to the business of war they fought.

From a total war point of view, that is military + civilian, I think why the World War II era was called the greatest is because how EVERYONE fought for a common cause and everyone sacrificed for that common cause. It is also the most recent in history to have been that way. With that in mind I think World War I could be comparable.

I have seen the argument or questioning as to why the generation of the War Between the States (or the Civil War as some call it) couldn't be called the "Greatest Generation" just due to the number of casualties and the total civilian involvement. In my opinion it would be because we were fighting each other. It wasn't a common cause for the whole nation, whole states, counties, or even families. It was literally brother against brother in some cases.

In all other wars there can be no doubt to the bravery of the fighting men and women of the United States military. As I stated above, I think they were all great in their time. However, if you count the totalness of military + civilian the other generations don't quite measure up to the World Wars generations. Due to the smaller/limited scale of warfare in Korea and Vietnam there just wasn't the same sacrifices put upon or asked of the civilian population as before. As far as everything after Vietnam and especially Iraq & Afghanistan I heard a very suitable saying from the military which was "America didn't go to war. The military went to war and America went to the mall."

Daver1963:

Well thought, well reasoned, great logic and simply put, I couldn't agree more with your opinion.
Thanks for opining!

Dave

 

[bcp]

One example of US civilian involvement in the WWII war effort:

Rationed Items

Bruce

 

[usmcsnco]

One example of US civilian involvement in the WWII war effort:

Rationed Items

Bruce

Bruce:

Great point, thanks for sharing!

Thanks again!

 

[usmcsnco]

As you can probably tell if you read my posts, you and I think alike on this matter. Although my father didn't serve in the armed forces during WWII, he told me one time, that because he was in the business of producing aggregate building materials (read: runways, air bases, etc.) the government pretty much told him where he was going to work. I was born in 1938, so I remember a bit of the war, albeit it from the perspective of a first and second grader. One incident that I recall very vividly; my Dad was talking to our neighbor, who was married and had a couple of kids, one about my age and one older. The neighbor had decided to volunteer for the Navy, and my Dad asked him, why a man of his age, with a family had decided to volunteer. And I recall his answer as if it were yesterday...he said "I just want to do something for my Country". He volunteered and was later killed when a Japanese Kamikaze plane hit his ship...but I don't think his attitude was the exception, I think it was the rule.

I still have some other vivid memories; mostly of shortages, airplanes, train rides and nearly all young men being in uniform.

2LaneCruzer:

Great story. It was fairly frequent one as well.
When I was a kid the elderly gentleman next door with whom I used to sit and have him regal me with stories, which helped I am sure now to solidify my desire to make the military my career, was a trench veteran of WWI and again had volunteered to serve in WWII and served in the ETO at the age of around 43 when he shipped over. His own father had been in the Civil War.
The widow across the street had a husband who had lost a leg in WWI, and she had lost all three of her sons in WWII. One at Anzio, one at Iwo and the eldest boy at Okinawa.
Down the street was a gentleman who was crippled and had a small candy store inside his door. He ran it from his wheelchair just to get a little extra change. He had been crippled in some fashion in the Pacific in the Philippine Islands. Another fellow who I never learned his name had lost an arm in the ETO and lastly we had a blinded Navy vet who had served on the USS Canberra. It had at some point been sunk and later in a subsequent assignment he had been blinded by a Kamikaze explosion. He ran a small store set up in a trailer. He was not totally blind but was more than 80% and perhaps greater. You could not go in, you just placed the order at the window.
I come from a small town and all of these vets lived with a three square block radius of our front door.
So many sacrificed so much and I will always be profoundly and eternally grateful for their sacrifices.

Thanks,

 

[usmcsnco]

Here we have Audie Murphy, America's "most decorated" WWII soldier speaking on the war. This great American soldier and patriot is a pretty humble guy.
When asked in this 1963 Veteran's Day interview what his most memorable experience of the war was...his response might surprise you. That happens around the 2 minute mark
I invite you to listen and you can tell from his voice that this is a pretty uncomfortable interview especially at that point where he reflects on friends lost...you can detect a quiver in his voice.
That happens at around 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
The other interesting occurrence happens at around 3 minutes and 20 seconds when he refers to "weapons of mass destruction"

Audie Murphy Discusses WW2 - YouTube

Thanks!

 

[/pine]

...From a military point of view I think each generation that has been called upon to fight has been the greatest generation and that is whether they volunteered or were drafted. When it came down to the business of war they fought...

IMO...the term "greatest generation" is only partially due to the struggles of war...

IMO...What most refer to as the "greatest generation" was the last one that raised their children to have respect for others etc. and being taught the difference between right and wrong...for the most part society has gone to heck since then...and IMO it just gets worse with every subsequent generation...!!!

When I was young if I did something wrong in the presence of an adult and said adult related the issue to my parents...I heard about it loud and clear (and back then parents held no animosity towards the adults that reported such issues)...since "the greatest generation" (most) parents take umbrage towards anyone that says anything (justifiably) detrimental towards their offspring regardless...These days, parents are more likely to take legal action against someone for (justifiably) chastising their kids than thanking them...!...IMO that is the type of thing that separates the greatest generation from subsequent ones...

IMO, it is the lack of and decreasing family values along with being taught to have respect for others that has led to the obvious decline of this country...

I'm not saying that every parent today does not raise their children to have no respect but they are a dwindling breed...