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lwarmonger · 01-21-2008, 06:41 AM

I always find amusing those who feel that the WWII generation was far more patriotic, united and willing to serve than Americans today. Our society then is a commonly held ideal... but only because we don't live there. Much like the 1990's will probably be held as a better time in place (and in many circles already is) as we begin to forget about all of the problems and uncertainties that confronted us in those times.

When considering the WWII generation it is important to point out that the US military had some difficulty increasing numbers prior to WWII when congress began authorizing major force expansions... that without US military being deployed across the world and in two conflicts... and far fewer in number, both in terms of standard strength and the numbers they were attempting to attain.

I also like to point out that that same generation of Americans that rallied so thoroughly to the cause of total victory required a major attack on American soil to do anything about it. A Japanese attack on an American gunboat (in a war that the US public didn't approve of) wasn't enough... nor were German U-boat attacks on American shipping in the Atlantic in a war against our only fellow democracies. And reading contemporary writing from the post-war years, there seems to be considerable disagreement regarding America's role in the world and how (and what) obligations should be met... perhaps more so than today.

And then there was the Korean War... hardly our finest hour when it came to national unity and military competence (when referring to military competence I am talking about the early days of the war as we were being forced back to the Pusan perimeter and later as we retreated before the Chinese).

This is just foreign policy I have addressed. That is completely skipping over the civil rights movement, the Warren Court, the almost total autonomy some areas experienced during the Great Depression (Louisiana under Huey Long springs instantly to mind), the various rioting and barely suppressed social unrest of the 1930's ect. I will grant that the WWII generation was more severely tested than America today and that it helped shape who they were... but it is important to remember that they weren't some kind of ideal, selfless, hardworking society that were united in their march onto the world stage and has put America since to shame.

01-21-2008, 06:41 AM	#13 (permalink)
lwarmonger *Military Professional* Join Date: 02-08-05 Posts: 1,784	I always find amusing those who feel that the WWII generation was far more patriotic, united and willing to serve than Americans today. Our society then is a commonly held ideal... but only because we don't live there. Much like the 1990's will probably be held as a better time in place (and in many circles already is) as we begin to forget about all of the problems and uncertainties that confronted us in those times. When considering the WWII generation it is important to point out that the US military had some difficulty increasing numbers prior to WWII when congress began authorizing major force expansions... that without US military being deployed across the world and in two conflicts... and far fewer in number, both in terms of standard strength and the numbers they were attempting to attain. I also like to point out that that same generation of Americans that rallied so thoroughly to the cause of total victory required a major attack on American soil to do anything about it. A Japanese attack on an American gunboat (in a war that the US public didn't approve of) wasn't enough... nor were German U-boat attacks on American shipping in the Atlantic in a war against our only fellow democracies. And reading contemporary writing from the post-war years, there seems to be considerable disagreement regarding America's role in the world and how (and what) obligations should be met... perhaps more so than today. And then there was the Korean War... hardly our finest hour when it came to national unity and military competence (when referring to military competence I am talking about the early days of the war as we were being forced back to the Pusan perimeter and later as we retreated before the Chinese). This is just foreign policy I have addressed. That is completely skipping over the civil rights movement, the Warren Court, the almost total autonomy some areas experienced during the Great Depression (Louisiana under Huey Long springs instantly to mind), the various rioting and barely suppressed social unrest of the 1930's ect. I will grant that the WWII generation was more severely tested than America today and that it helped shape who they were... but it is important to remember that they weren't some kind of ideal, selfless, hardworking society that were united in their march onto the world stage and has put America since to shame.