Staying Power of WWII In our Collective Conscious

Those of us who are active on these forums, including the lurkers among us, are still committed to preserving the memory of WWII and the sacrifice of so many people during the War. That said, time changes perception a lot. When I was a boy in the 1970's, there was a lot of discussion of the American Revolution as we approached our 200th anniversary and also a lot of interest in the civil war. WWII was not discussed nearly as much and WWI not at all.

In the 1980's, we saw a lot of reflection on our experience in Viet Nam, but that seems to have subsided at roughly the beginning of the first Gulf War.

If we look at contemporary discussions, I still see a lot of interest in the American Civil War and in World War II, but the Revolution, the "lesser" wars of the Nineteenth Century, Korea, and other conflicts of the 20th Century do not get a lot of time in the popular press or in popular discussions.

Obviously, the greater the distance in time, the weaker the memories. So my question to you is: What is the staying power of WWII in our collective consciousness. I am an 42. When I am 82, do we all think that this forum will still be as robust as it is now? Will there be greater interest? Will we still have teens and other young people taking up the mantle of interest?

I am curious to know what you all think!

 

We're the same age DG, & i know what you mean.
When i was a kid, WWII obviously got alot of attention via t.v. & movies. Vietnam was "taboo" in a sense & nothing was heralded in the media, nor in the classroom. Korea is perfectly titled "The Forgotten War" as it's never been given any opportunity for discussion. I don't know if it's because it was considered a stalemate or what. But i know a few Korean vets, 1 of which is a close hunting buddy & i enjoy talking to him about it.

My father was in charge of the local American Legion canteen for many years & i sorta grew up there. When i was real young I recall the sunday lunch buffets & a number of "old" guys that peaked my interest. I asked my dad which war they served in. Of course they were vets of "The Great War". I was too young to hold an informative conversation with them, but i wish i was able to.

As for the Gulf War, i just thought of this the other day. I vividly recall how patriotic everyone was & how America wasn't going to treat those vets the same way the Vietnam vets were. Strange how it takes another war to acknowledge & appreciate others who've served beforehand.

As for the longevity of this board & others like it in 40 years, who knows. I think WWII will always be earmarked as the most reknown war & will always have its notoriety. Still, i try to get as many people out to roundtable discussions to meet & greet vets while they are still given the opportunity as its one helluva privelage to do so.

 

I think the reason that WWII stays so strong in our minds is because of the heinous nature of the war. How many times have you heard the plea not to forget so that this particular history never repeats itself?

As for the forgotton war: I am happy to report that last year in my daughter's 8th grade social studies class, they covered the Korean War. Each kid was assigned a Korean War veteran in which they had to write a letter to. My daughter asked no questions, only thanked him for fighting in the war for her. The Veteran was so moved, instead of writing her back, he paid a visit to her school and met with her under the supervision of the Principle. He told her that no one has ever thanked him for fighting in the war before. I don't know if this is really true or not (certainly is sad if it is true), but it sure did make her day. He then asked her if she had any questions she wanted to ask him seeing as though she didn't ask him any questions in the lettter. She was so thrilled to sit and discuss his experiences with him. Now, you have to understand my kids. I have taught them from a very young age to show the most respect to thier elders and war veterans. Both of my kids are very interested in WWII (probably because ofme). My son has wanted to join the Marines since he was three. He was devastated a couple months ago to hear from his allergist that his asthma will never go away and he can forget a future in the military (he's 12). He has since decided to strive to be a member of the SWAT team. I'm telling you, this kid is a sniper shot! You can usually find him in the backyard shooting his little plastic army men with his BB gun (they really do explode!), and burying in my gardens the remains of those who are demolished with rocks for tombstones and everything. He bandages those who only lost a limb with tape. Don't worry, this kid has more army men than he can handle!

Lisa

 

Great story about your daughter. Good to hear the younger generation acknowledging our vet's.

As for your son, i was there too. We blew the hell out of 100's of them little guys. Mostly the "grey" ones though. The "green" guys always won.

Sandwich bags,scotch tape, & thread make great parachutes for airborne assault's.