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My dad and his two older brothers fought in World War 2 for the U.S. They grew up poor during the Depression. After the war all three of them went to college

by skh 8y ago

My dad and his two older brothers fought in World War 2 for the U.S. They grew up poor during the Depression. After the war all three of them went to college for free as part of the GI benefits. The three of them went on to have good careers and lived well. The two younger brothers did not go to war. They were not able to go to college. They ended up poorer and died younger than the older brothers. They did not prosper nearly as well as the three older brothers. We call the World War 2 generation the greatest ever. I think they were the greatest generation because they ended up with the greatest opportunities not because they were more special than other generations. Government that cares for its people and seeks to create a fair society is what creates great generations. Universal access to healthcare that is free at the point of service and universal access to higher education for those who are qualified are not too expensive. It just requires a shift in priorities.

paulddraper 8y ago
You might be right about universal healthcare, etc., but the reason people call it the greatest generation is because it recovered from the worst economic depression in economic history and saved the free world. > In the book, Brokaw wrote, "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced". He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do". That title doesn't have to do with their post-war fortunes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation
- skh 8y ago
  Yes, I know this is the reason. My experience with the people from that generation is that there was nothing special as such with them. They ended up having the greatest opportunities due to GI Bill and other programs. My dad didn't join up because it was the right thing to do. Neither did his brothers. They joined because they got drafted and at that time, at that age, if you were a guy and not in the military there was a lot of social pressure put on it. Like, "What is your excuse?" The title partially has to do with post war fortunes because of the great economic expansion that occurred after the war. That generation did build great things and greatly enhanced the way of life of the nation. I think this came from the opportunity government gave them and not from being innately special. By the way, they didn't save the free world. The vast majority of the fighting and killing in the ETO was done by the Soviet Union. They are the ones who won the war. The British and Americans helped but did not do the bulk of the fighting.
- acct1771 8y ago
  Saved the free world. That one always makes me shiver. Operation Paperclip?
njarboe 8y ago
"Government" is just a bunch of people. People in power caring that the benefits of increasing wealth and technology of society is widely shared is what creates great generations. Having a whole society share the burden of fighting in a war, with basically all males of a certain age fighting together in the field, I think created bounds between classes that the US has not had since then. I would assume your ideas on why your younger uncles did not succeed would be more likely correct than some stranger on the internet, but have you considered that a bigger factor in their lack of success is that they did not get to fight in the war, not the fact that they did not go to college. Being in that huge cohort of men who fought in the war is sort of like everyone going to the same undergrad. Being able to form strong bonds quickly to millions of people would surely be a great advantage in life.
- skh 8y ago
  The war was detrimental to my dad. He was fucked up by it. Became and alcoholic and was part of a generation that never could talk about emotional things. He saw combat, unlike the vast majority of servicemen. You look at his warbook (sort of like a year book for school but this for a battalion) at the end you'll see a lot of names underlined in red. Those are the ones that died that he knew. My impression is that it was a lack of opportunity that prevented my uncles from achieving more.
  - njarboe 8y ago
    Seems like a reasonable assessment. Killing other people and having close friends killed affects people in very negative ways. I had not considered that most US servicemen did not even see combat in WWII. Its too bad that most states in the US have cut back enormously on their support of colleges and the prices have gotten out of control. Having such a large number of people start out life so highly indebted and many responsible people not going because of the cost seems like a really bad strategy for a successful society.
black6 8y ago
The GI Bill still exists, for those who serve. The Post-9/11 GI Bill got me through college debt free.
- skh 8y ago
  Yes, but at the end of WW2 some 15 million people were able to benefit from it. In terms of percent of the population this was vastly more people than those who benefit today.

by skh 8y ago

paulddraper 8y ago

You might be right about universal healthcare, etc., but the reason people call it the greatest generation is because it recovered from the worst economic depression in economic history and saved the free world. > In the book, Brokaw wrote, "it is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced". He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do". That title doesn't have to do with their post-war fortunes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation

skh 8y ago
Yes, I know this is the reason. My experience with the people from that generation is that there was nothing special as such with them. They ended up having the greatest opportunities due to GI Bill and other programs. My dad didn't join up because it was the right thing to do. Neither did his brothers. They joined because they got drafted and at that time, at that age, if you were a guy and not in the military there was a lot of social pressure put on it. Like, "What is your excuse?" The title partially has to do with post war fortunes because of the great economic expansion that occurred after the war. That generation did build great things and greatly enhanced the way of life of the nation. I think this came from the opportunity government gave them and not from being innately special. By the way, they didn't save the free world. The vast majority of the fighting and killing in the ETO was done by the Soviet Union. They are the ones who won the war. The British and Americans helped but did not do the bulk of the fighting.
acct1771 8y ago
Saved the free world. That one always makes me shiver. Operation Paperclip?

njarboe 8y ago

"Government" is just a bunch of people. People in power caring that the benefits of increasing wealth and technology of society is widely shared is what creates great generations. Having a whole society share the burden of fighting in a war, with basically all males of a certain age fighting together in the field, I think created bounds between classes that the US has not had since then. I would assume your ideas on why your younger uncles did not succeed would be more likely correct than some stranger on the internet, but have you considered that a bigger factor in their lack of success is that they did not get to fight in the war, not the fact that they did not go to college. Being in that huge cohort of men who fought in the war is sort of like everyone going to the same undergrad. Being able to form strong bonds quickly to millions of people would surely be a great advantage in life.

skh 8y ago
The war was detrimental to my dad. He was fucked up by it. Became and alcoholic and was part of a generation that never could talk about emotional things. He saw combat, unlike the vast majority of servicemen. You look at his warbook (sort of like a year book for school but this for a battalion) at the end you'll see a lot of names underlined in red. Those are the ones that died that he knew. My impression is that it was a lack of opportunity that prevented my uncles from achieving more.
- njarboe 8y ago
  Seems like a reasonable assessment. Killing other people and having close friends killed affects people in very negative ways. I had not considered that most US servicemen did not even see combat in WWII. Its too bad that most states in the US have cut back enormously on their support of colleges and the prices have gotten out of control. Having such a large number of people start out life so highly indebted and many responsible people not going because of the cost seems like a really bad strategy for a successful society.

black6 8y ago

The GI Bill still exists, for those who serve. The Post-9/11 GI Bill got me through college debt free.

skh 8y ago
Yes, but at the end of WW2 some 15 million people were able to benefit from it. In terms of percent of the population this was vastly more people than those who benefit today.