Right now, on Hub Pages, I am doing a series on the "Greatest Generation." This is in reference to Tom Brokaw's book "The Greatest Generation." The generation that fought and defeated Nazi Germany is, in my mind, unequivocally the greatest generation. Why? It's very simple (and I think this summarizes it), if not for the generation of WWII, there most likely would be no Jews on earth or any other minority group. Hitler, had he won the war, would have eliminated all minorities, mentally disabled or physically disabled people. He would have also eliminated all dissenters as well. Losing the war was not an option for "The Greatest Generation." They had to win. There was no other choice. Some may argue that the USA would never have submitted to Hitler and Nazi Germany. But, Germany, as we now know, was developing the atomic bomb and a launch platform that would have delivered it to the east coast (New York City most likely) of the United States. How long would we have lasted after our cities resembled Hiroshima? We would have sued for peace most likely. I shudder to think what our terms for peace would have been.
The name of the series on Hub Pages is "Letters Home from the Greatest Generation." You can read Part I by clicking HERE. I am working on Part IV now. I expect to publish it sometime this week, probably on Saturday night. It is a tribute to my late Uncle John who died at age 89 this past January. These are letters to his mother (my grandma) and his sweetheart, Alice. Some are quite graphic as well. So, reader beware if you are the squeamish type.
The Greatest Generation is oft times up for debate. Some say the generation of our forefathers during the American Revolution were the greatest generation. Some will say the generation of the Civil War, the generation of the Civil Rights protests and so on. All have valid arguments. But, Hitler and Nazi Germany were the most dangerous regime this world has ever known. Six million Jews are proof these people had to be stopped. Germany had suffered greatly at the hands of Allied bombing campaigns. So, I suppose one could argue that Germany would have simply settled for pre-War boundaries. But, Eisenhower made it clear; unconditional surrender was the only objective. I think the conclusion is clear. The generation that stopped a madman, a man intent on world domination and ethnic cleansing, is without a doubt, truly "The Greatest Generation."
2 comments:
I totallyu agree with you stopping Hitler had to be done,Period. No ifs ands or buts.
Mike, thanks for the comment. I have been in a huff about Google. So, that is why I have been late responding. My father always said that Hitler would have been the end of civilization as we knew it if he had succeeded. Thanks to men and women of the "greatest generation," Hitler met his end by his own hands.
Post a Comment