The Greatest Generation

The Greatest Generation

Today I was asked why I am the way I am about America.
It made me think. Am I that unusual?
I've been reflecting on it all day.
I know why.......................
I was raised by the "Greatest Generation"
I was brought up in a home where we all ate together as a family,
prayed together for our nation, family and our fellow man.
Work ethic was expected and personal integrity was demanded.
My parents didn't believe the government owed them anything.
They believed in the value of hard work.
My father was a World War 2 hero, but he didn't think of himself as a hero.
He didn't serve his country just because he wanted an education.
He believed it was his responsibility to serve the nation he loved, even to the point of shedding blood.
He believed in Liberty and taught me" Freedom it is never free."
He came back from the war with more than medals,
He experienced Normandy and held his American brothers as they payed the ultimate price.
He walked the streets of Post war Poland and drove the trucks that carried the Holocaust survivors.
He knew The Holocaust happened because he was there.
He saw the worst that Man could do and He saw the best that man is capable of.
Yet he didn't return home bitter he came back filled with love and compassion.
It made him a better man, He would tell me never to forget.

My parents lived through War, the Great Depression and the turbulent 60's and 70's
They faced disappointment and the heartbreaking loss of their beloved daughter but they were strong.
They never lost faith in God or Country.
I wondered why? Because they grew up in Godly homes and prayed in School.
They studied History before it was rewritten.
They came from good, large hardworking families that were always there for each other.

I was blessed to have had Parents, grandparents (who died before my birth) aunts and Heroic Uncles.
All served their God and served their country,
and told the stories to me at family reunions and Kitchen tables.
I am their heritage. I will never forget their stories and I will always teach my children their values.
Maybe one day a generation will arise and become "The Greatest" again.
I pray for that with all my heart!