To show you how ignorant the general population of America is.

My wife's best friend is a school teacher as is this woman's husband. Both were clueless that it was the USSR which took Berlin winning the war in Europe. They were also shocked to find out that the majority of the German military was destroyed on the eastern front. What was even worst was their 18 year old son had no clue who fought who during world war two. Are they learning anything in history class these days? A anonymous woman saw me in Barnes & Noble looking at world war two books. She mentioned her grandfather was involved in the D-day landings. She was under the impression that won the entire war. Wow. These are just a few examples of what I have encountered over the years. These two incidents being the most recent. What is a shame is all the men we lost in the few years that the Korean war lasted. I bet there are very few people who can tell you a thing about that particular conflict.

 

Americans generally do not revel in their military past. Wars are something we do in far off distant lands whos name we never heard of before and can barely pronounce. Not saying its a good thing, just the way it is. We as much as anyone prefer the myth to the reality.

 

Well stated belasar. Americans care more about what the Kardashians are doing instead of our troops. This troubles me. Most can't even comprehend the hardships of war. One young couple was shocked because I know where Afghanistan is. Sad.

 

Shows you what kind of curriculum they have in the schools.

 

I came across this phenomenon several years ago now....

Feldgrau.net • View topic - The Wonderful World of Wikianswer!

 

Also, it's part of the Vietnam legacy. The doves always came with "war is not the answer," and act like the military doesn't matter. So with them in charge of academia, the kids were and are fed with lies.

 

I won a bottle of very good Scotch from a US Army SGM (an Instructor and Lesson
Developer at the SGM Academy at the time) over the Berlin question.

A Navy CPO and I once almost came to blows when I tried to point out the US Lend Lease to the USSR, while important, was not vital; and that the USSR produce weapons as good or better than ours.

Just yesterday I saw a documentary about VN where a US Vet stated his uncle was a US Marine who landed on Normandy, another stated his MOS in VN was a Special “Service” tunnel rat. None of the documentarians challenged them.

Just like politics and religion most people (not just in the US) don’t know - and really don’t want to know - the historical truth.

As to what is taught in our schools I suggest James Loewen’s LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME, he goes into some detail as to what is in our textbooks and why.
BTW - I like your choice of an Icon, I met one of those guys in San Diego in 1970 (at the premier of THE DEVILS BRIGADE).

 

Mike I believe our soldiers that were in the First Special Servies Force were among our best ever. They have never gotten the recognition they deserved. The Italian theatre has been a afterthought because there were not the mass casualties that there were on other fronts, and because of the nature of their operations. This is my opinion anyways. People often fail to realize how important the Italian theatre was to Hitler. I believe for reasons that are controversial and I won't discuss.

 

You learn at school what you want to learn at school. I learned a lot about history and several other subjects in my younger years. But, I hardly remember anything from my biology class, and if I can recall 10 spanish words from my 2 years of Spanish, I'd be lucky.

 

I think this cuts to the heart of the problem...America has a "history" since Vietnam of not celebrating war or its warriors...to do so is seen as "deathmongery" or simply ignorant. This of course is wrong...ones warriors have ALWAYS been the protective fathers of any country or tribe, and should be respected as such. Theres a difference between glorifying war and glorifying ones heroes in the serious business of war. I hate war...But what it does do is bring the best out of an individual and a country, and worst if you cant control yourself. Warriors have more say in your continued existance than anybody else..including your mother and father and the governement...that should be remembered by the Americans..and celebrated.
Which brings me to point two: Many of the US's wars havent been to protect itself directly, but for politcal reasons...difficult to get behind your warriors when they ARENT fighting directly for ones country...sad for the warriors too sometimes.

 

Sad isn't it? Always respect your Veterans , keep their memories alive or one day you'll wake up like us Europeans where the single fact of displaying your own flag during your national will cause you be called a fascist by some ignorant kid....

 

America has always had a love-hate relationship with the military. Love them when we need them, wish they would stay out of sight when we don't. Politicly the populace always fears any group of disiplined organized body, everybody expected to be individuals not part of group think. Ironic as the fear of a military junta taking over rarely come close to happening by the US military.

 

Any country what it wants to learn! Over here they can tell you when it starts, maybe they can tell the countries Hitler occupied and they cantell you when it ended and that the US dropped the atomic bomb over Japan twice. The most important of WW" they do learn over here is that all the German soldiers were evil and all killed innocent people and jews. Thats the way our gouvernment set up the history lessons about WW2 and they have 1 week in maximum for this topic. Not a much better way to deal with your history, isn´t it?

 

Ulrich...to be fair to your government, it's pretty much modelled on what OMGUS forced on Germany after 1945 There haven't been that many changes....and I don't know that the Germany of today COULD make many changes and not brook comment from the rest of Europe.

Look at the "NapoleonLand" thread - can you imagine what would happen if Germany changed how and what it teaches its children about WWII?

 

Thats a point indeed, phylo!
It would depend on how they changed their education in our history. For me it would have been better they had showed them the stuff correct and with the difference the kids have to this time, i think they will see it critical enough to differ what was right or wrong. The extrem POV the gouvernment has to this topic lead a lot of weak characters in the claws of the Neonazis.

 

The Napoleonland idea is not new. Actually similar examples exist eveywhere in Europe including in Germany. I don't know if the Eagle nest was finally turned into a hotel some time ago. I know a Soviet prison in the Baltic countries was re-opened for tourists willing to spend a night under Soviet rule. There are even people paying (and happy to waste their money ) to spend a night in a former Russian Gulag with frost and barking dogs included.

 

Mad world!

 

To depend upon the State for anything including schooling is foolish in my opinion. It is important to note that the State has a mandate to provide the minimum. All governments are guided by the populace's ability or desire to fund these government programs such as schooling, medical, etc.

When we become dependant upon the great government nanny we are lost. Yes government is needed but it should only provide the minimum. It is up to the indivdual to carry his own load.

It is up to you to provide this information to your kids. Don't let them grow up to be ignorant because of your dependancy upon the nanny state.

KTK

 

That would be a ideal, Ken. The truth is, that the Stae is taking a lot of influence on that topic in schools and in the Web too. And how will you teach your kids things you never heard of? But you´re right on the States Nanny!

 

Because of my father's work I went though the American Education system across many different areas (2 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high Schools in 5 states, W.Va., PA., Ohio, IL.,Texas). Over all they were generally the same with a few subtle differences. Some I liked better than others because they had a better tax base and hence more to offer. Much depended upon who was teaching the class, a good, involved teacher could stimulate an interest in a subect I had no great interest in and a bored, lazy teacher could ruin a area I loved.

When I got into Middle and High School and had some choice of electives I took every history, social studies and world culture class I could get into. To be honest they were very general in their content, but they did stimulate my continued interest in history and world affairs. which in the end is all we can really hope for.

A state sponcered education can only impart a general understanding of how to fuction within our society, teach us how to learn new data on our own and expose us to a variety of disiplines (science, math, history, etc.) in the hope that the student finds the path that best suits their nature and desire. It is tempting to take the attitude that I pay my taxes, get them dressed and at school on time, so therefore it is now the state's/school's responcibility to ensure that my child is properly educated.

This is just plain wrong.

It is, has been and always will be the responcibility of the parent to see that their child gets the education they need. Schools are nothing more than a tool to achieve that goal.

If our children seem dumb, then the first place we should look for a scapegoat is in the mirror.