Freddy, Colton TP Draft

Colton Fredy
History-1700-026-Sp15
Prof. Ken Long
The Greatest Generation

General George S. Patton said If a man does his best, what else is there?1 To this credit,
there have been many generations in our countrys history that have seen war. However, one
stands out that has been called The Greatest Generation. The title comes from Tom Brokaw
who wrote the book The Greatest Generation published in 1998. These men were just average
Americans doing their best. Now this is a term used to describe the men and women of America
who served their country during the Great Depression and WW2.2 However, making such a bold
claim has to be backed up by some sort of facts or good reasons as to make this claim, and even
then, there still might not be enough evidence to convince all. Regardless of the evidence, there
will always be those that do not support the claim that this generation truly was The Greatest
Generation.
The generation of those that served during WW2 had something different about them. In the
military, alone during the war, 16 million Americans served their nation.3 This does not
include the countless men and women back home in America that pitched in with War bonds,
victory gardens, and rationing.4 All this became the norm for those that could not serve. In
addition to this, many jobs were left vacant by those that signed up for the military, causing
1 Barry. 2013. If a Man Does His Best What Else Is There. 09 30. Accessed 04 23, 2014.
http://www.thequotablecoach.com/if-a-man-does-his-best-what-else-is-there/.
2 Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015. http://www.creators.com/opinion/walterwilliams/the-greatest-generation.html.
3 The National WW2 Museum. 2015. WW2 Veterans Statistics. Accessed 2015.
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/honor/wwii-veterans-statistics.html.
4 Armed Forces History Museum. 2012. World War II Era-The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015.
http://armedforcesmuseum.com/world-war-ii-era-the-greatest-generation/.
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
women to fill those positions.5 During WW2 the nation came together like never before to
support what many called, a good war.6
Those that are considered the greatest generation were made that way through the teachings that
their parents instilled in them. There are seven lessons in particular that can be taken from the
parents of the greatest generation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Take personal responsibility for your life

Be frugal
Be humble
Love loyally
Work hard
Embrace Challenge
Dont make life so complicated7
These lessons were instilled in the men and women that created the greatest generation.
The lessons that inspired 16 million men to sign up to fight the war against fascism.8 These 7
items were a teaching of parents that grew up through WW1 and a great depression, lessons that
were hard learned and carried into the future by their children who grew up to become known as
The Greatest Generation.
At the onset of WW2, thousands of Americans chose to go to the recruiting stations to answer
the nations call.9 The men that served during WW2 gave something of themselves to protect
5 Ibid
6 Zinn, Howard. 2001. The Greatest Generation? 10. Accessed 2015.
http://www.progressive.org/0901/zinn1001.html.
7 Mckay, Brett. 2009. 7 Lessons in Manliness From the Greatest Generation . 04 30. Accessed 2015.
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/04/30/7-lessons-in-manliness-from-the-greatest-generation/.
8 The National WW2 Museum. 2015. WW2 Veterans Statistics. Accessed 2015.
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/honor/wwii-veterans-statistics.html
9 Vergun, David. 2015. Tribute to the "Greatest Generation. Accessed 04 23, 2015.
http://www.military.com/memorial-day/tribute-to-veterans-greatest-generation.html.
Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
each and every one of us, to do what needed to be donethe dirty work of war.10 During
WW2 soldiers went off to war and then returned to their home and families after it was over.
Today however, soldiers rotate in and out of theater on an almost annual basis.11 There was a
system set up during WW2 to rotate troops, but often many soldiers did not rotate back home due
to personal commitment to the brothers in arms that would be left behind. The men that served
during this generation didnt know if they would ever come home and had no idea how long they
would be gone. The war was known as the good war to fight fascism and so brave men signed up
and took the fight to the enemy.
The acts of those that fought during WW2 are still studied today at many universities and
war rooms throughout the military so we dont make the same mistakes.12 WW2 left America
with many lessons that are still used today. During WW2 reserve and guard components of the
military were mobilized and performed superbly.13 Today after 12 years of conflict Americas
guard and reserve have performed just as superbly.14 Lessons learned in war should never be
forgotten, for they are lessons learned in blood. Eventually the war ended and Americas military
both guard, reservist, and active war demobilized and when our men returned home they faced
more challenges.
10 Ibid
12 Ibid
13 Ibid
14 Ibid
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
Many came home to make notable marks in US history while others returned to the quiet life
they had known before but few ever put any focus into what they did during the war.15 Being
humble was a big part of what made this generation up and lifted them to the title of The
Greatest Generation. If one would ask a veteran of WW2 what it was like or call them a hero
almost always one will receive the same line, I am not a hero. The real heroes are the ones who
didnt make it home.16 This was a generation that as Tom Brokaw wrote in his book The
Greatest Generation, that, by and large, made no demands of homage from those who followed
and prospered, economically, politically, and culturally because of its sacrifices.17 This was a
generation that gave everything and asked for nothing. They werent all good though, many
people including those that served do not consider them/selves to be a great generation or
anything besides men and women that answered their nations call.
However, it wasnt all greatness and perfection for this generation. Military men when returning
home had advantages but also many disadvantages. When a service member returns to civilian
life, they receive transition assistance, similar in what today is called the Post 9/11 GI Bill.18 This
was very helpful to give many a leg up to start a new life. After the war was over and life started
to return to normal for so many, this wouldnt happen. A darkness started to move in and the
mental disorder known today as PTSD started to rear its ugly head; veterans didnt receive the
17 Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. 1998. 'The Greatest Generation': They Made Mistakes, But They Saved
the World. Accessed 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/13/daily/generation-book-review.html
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
help needed like they do today.19 The mental trauma and fatigues of war were much unknown to
science and psychology during this time. Now-a-days the military invests around 3 billion dollars
every year to treat and help those that suffer from PTSD.20 The mentality of new vets coming
home from WW2 was different from vet to vet but the general consensus was that it just wasnt
talked about21. To talk about the experiences was like reliving everything all over again. At the
end of the day, life was just supposed to resume as if nothing happened. Not everyone came back
with PTSD and many service men went on to do some very great things.
The Greatest Generation didnt just return with emotional traumas, however. There were also
many economic and political issues that were caused and continued under the eye of The
Greatest Generation. Even Tom Brokaw the man who coined the term The Greatest
Generation admits the men and women of this time made mistakes when it came to
McCarthyism, racism, and womens rights.22 Beyond this even today many have a problem with
the term The Greatest Generation. Many argue that its easy to attribute this title because of the
clear good-versus-evil nature of World War 2.23 Many see this as a simplistic glorification of
war and glosses over the darker parts of the era.24
19 Ibid
20 Ehley, Brianna. 2014. $3B on PTSD Therapy for Soldiers That May Not Work. 06 25. Accessed 2015.
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/06/25/3B-PTSD-Therapy-Soldiers-May-Not-Work.
22 Pumphrey, Clint. 2015. How the Greatest Generation Works. Accessed 2015.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/generation-gaps/greatest-generation.htm.
23 Ibid
24 Ibid
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
To say those that fought in WW2 were the greatest generation any society has every produced is
an over simplification of history and those that came before them. In an article written by
Howard Zin says WW2 veterans werent The Greatest Generation and he himself was a
bombardier who saw combat during WW2. Howard Zin goes on to submit what he considers
better candidates for the position. Howard Zin says the idea has been perpetuated by an artillery
barrage of books and films about World War 2.25 We as a society love a good hero that stands to
fight evil and WW2 veterans are celebrated as heroes.26 To do this though, propagates the idea
that war can be good and that WW2 was a kind of good war and easier to justify than the wars
that followed; Vietnam or Korea or Iraq or Panama or Grenada, this has made coining those
that fought in WW2 as The Greatest Generation all the easier.27
Howard Zin makes the argument that this countrys founding fathers would make a better
candidate for the title of The Greatest Generation explaining how these men stood against
tyranny to protect the right of the citizens of the new world. This generation also had its
problems though slavery, economic inequality, and racism.28 Howard Zin overlooks the scope of
both wars. WW2 involved more countries and a larger amount of people fighting for their rights
against the spreading war machine of fascism.

26 Ibid
27 Ibid
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
Even beyond social problems The Greatest Generation set in place programs and problems that
have caused political issues ever since then. There was a time when federal government was very
limited.
When the greatest generation was born, federal spending as a percentage of gross
domestic product (GDP) was 2.5 percent. As they are now dying off, federal spending is
20 percent of GDP and that doesn't include government meddling. If the grandparents of
the greatest generation were asked to describe their contacts or relationship with the
federal government, after a puzzled look, straining their recollection faculties, they might
answer, "I used to chat with the mailman once in a while."29
The Greatest Generation set in place a trend that has spiraled out of control. What started with
the veterans of WW2 has bloomed into the Federal Government having their hand in our pocket
at almost any time. The Greatest Generation started many agencies to help people such as
Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration
and a host of alphabet agencies such as EPA, DOL, BLM, CDC and DOT.30 Now these agencies
are able to govern our lives in ways unimaginable to our ancestors.31
Economic problems are another part of why there is opposition to calling those who served their
country during WW2 The Greatest Generation. Walter William, a professor of economics at
George Mason University, says [t]here's little question that the greatest generation provided
their offspring, the baby boomer generation, with goods and services that their parents could not
afford to give them.32 The problem was what came after: the baby boomer generation was
29 Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams/the-greatest-generation.html.
30 Ibid
31 Ibid
32 Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams/the-greatest-generation.html.
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
instilled with the same values that the previous generation (WW2 veterans) were instilled with.
Walter Williams goes on to explain that previous generations had very little tolerance for
wrongful behaviors and a person was held accountable for their own actions. Stating policeman
and laws can never replace these restraints.33 Walter Williams goes on to say that, this failure to
fully transmit value norms to subsequent generations represents another failing of the greatest
generation.34
Walter Williams too submits the founding fathers to be known as the greatest generation stating,
If there's an American generation that can justifiably be called the greatest generation,
it's that generation responsible for the founding of our nation men such as James
Madison, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington and millions of their
fellow countrymen. This is the generation that threw off one form of oppression and laid
the foundations for unprecedented human liberty. That is not a trivial achievement, for
most often in mankind's history, one form of oppression has been replaced with another
far worse, as we've seen in Russia, China and Africa.35
Williams and Zin both make arguments for our founding fathers to be known as the greatest
generation. Their arguments are based off the wrong that was done during and following WW2.
The founding father generation had its problems too.
America looks to the Revolutionary war time period with great patriotism and sees it as a time
when America stood up against tyranny.36 These were still men, and man is fallible. During the
time of and following the revolutionary war, there was slavery, racism, womens rights, etc.
There has been a dark spot created by every generation. During the time after the revolution, the
33 Ibid
34 Ibid
35 Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015. http://www.creators.com/opinion/walterwilliams/the-greatest-generation.html.

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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
federal government raised taxes, imposed taxes on foreign goods, and created the Supreme
Court, the department of state, treasury, and war.37 This is more government to govern the people
even though this country was founded upon the principle of less government.
I would argue that there is no greatest generation. There has always been heroes at the time.
People still idolize the Spartans, the gladiators, and yes WW2 soldiers just to name a few. To call
any generation great because of a war that was fought creates an idolization of war and is over
simplistic. The term Greatest Generation is a term that a civilian gave to a group of men and
women that were born at the right time and answered their nations call asking for nothing in
return. If one was to ask a veteran from any war; do they consider themselves a hero? The
answer will almost always be no. I have served and am a veteran of the United States Navy and
not have I once heard any service member refer to themselves as a hero nor do I know anyone
that joined for the recognition of the public. We did it to better ourselves and our country, to
protect, and go forth so others didnt have to. There is no one great generation, there are people
who stepped up to stop an injustice. Whether that was to combat Hitler in Germany or the
Persians in Greece, they were just people who stepped up and the people back home that
supported them. Instead of idolizing any generation, there should be respect for all those past and
present that support and serve our country. To close, As John F. Kennedy said, and so my fellow
Americans: ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.38
That is what will make a generation The Greatest Generation.
37 Digital History ID 2971. 2014. Challenges Facing the Nation. Accessed 2015.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=2971
38 Kennedy, John F. 1961. "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You." Historic Documents. January 20.
Accessed April 2015. http://www.ushistory.org/documents/ask-not.htm.
Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
Bibliography
Armed Forces History Museum. 2012. World War II Era-The Greatest Generation.
Accessed 2015. http://armedforcesmuseum.com/world-war-ii-era-thegreatest-generation/.
Barry. 2013. If a Man Does His Best What Else Is There. 09 30. Accessed 04 23,
2014. http://www.thequotablecoach.com/if-a-man-does-his-best-what-else-isthere/.
Digital History ID 2971. 2014. Challenges Facing the Nation. Accessed 2015.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=2971.
Ehley, Brianna. 2014. $3B on PTSD Therapy for Soldiers That May Not Work. 06 25.
Accessed 2015. http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/06/25/3B-PTSDTherapy-Soldiers-May-Not-Work.
Kennedy, John F. 1961. "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You." Historic
Documents. January 20. Accessed April 2015.
http://www.ushistory.org/documents/ask-not.htm.
Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. 1998. 'The Greatest Generation': They Made Mistakes,
But They Saved the World. 12 14. Accessed 2015.
https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/13/daily/generation-book-review.html.
Mckay, Brett. 2009. 7 Lessons in Manliness From the Greatest Generation . 04 30.
Accessed 2015. http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/04/30/7-lessons-inmanliness-from-the-greatest-generation/.
Pumphrey, Clint. 2015. How the Greatest Generation Works. Accessed 2015.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/generation-gaps/greatestgeneration.htm.
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Colton Fredy
Prof. Ken Long
The National WW2 Museum. 2015. WW2 Veterans Statistics. Accessed 2015.
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/honor/wwii-veterans-statistics.html.
Vergun, David. 2015. Tribute to the "Greatest Generation. Accessed 04 23, 2015.
http://www.military.com/memorial-day/tribute-to-veterans-greatestgeneration.html.
Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/walter-williams/the-greatestgeneration.html.
Zinn, Howard. 2001. The Greatest Generation? 10. Accessed 2015.
11

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Colton Fredy

The Greatest Generation

2 Williams, Walter. 2007. The Greatest Generation. Accessed 2015. http://www.creators.com/opinion/walterwilliams/the-greatest-generation.html.

Take personal responsibility for your life

25 Zinn, Howard. 2001. The Greatest Generation? 10. Accessed 2015.

36 Zinn, Howard. 2001. The Greatest Generation? 10. Accessed 2015.

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