It’s a shame no American high school history class has ever made it to WWII which, with it’s Cold War aftermath, is the defining event of the 20th century.
When I was a kid there was still a tiny number of living Civil War vets. Over the years I’ve seen the last of the veterans of the Spanish-American and First World Wars die out. And now we are losing the last of the WWII vets.
If you know any, talk to them! Get their stories! Learn what they did and thought and felt! I don’t buy that “greatest generation” tag, but what they did was…well, historic, and it deserves to be remembered.
Pschearer, I don’t know what they’re teaching now, but in my US history classes in the 1980s, we sure as heck got to WWII. It was Viet Nam we never managed to talk about.
We got to WWII, too. Didn’t get to Vietnam, but it hadn’t happened yet.
As for “WWII vets - use them or lose them”, there are still thousands of WWII vets alive and kicking - remember, it only ended 60 years ago, and since the average vet was probably in his early twenties, if that, that means they’re only 80 or so now. Lots are probably younger than that. 80 is old, but it isn’t that old.
Maybe pschearer either was in high school in the 1930s or he never got that far. My high school history got to the French in Indochina in the textbooks and we discussed the then-current involvement.
pschearer Premium Member over 15 years ago
It’s a shame no American high school history class has ever made it to WWII which, with it’s Cold War aftermath, is the defining event of the 20th century.
When I was a kid there was still a tiny number of living Civil War vets. Over the years I’ve seen the last of the veterans of the Spanish-American and First World Wars die out. And now we are losing the last of the WWII vets.
If you know any, talk to them! Get their stories! Learn what they did and thought and felt! I don’t buy that “greatest generation” tag, but what they did was…well, historic, and it deserves to be remembered.
Trebor39 over 15 years ago
A great generation for sure. My brother is one of them.
BlueRaven over 15 years ago
Pschearer, I don’t know what they’re teaching now, but in my US history classes in the 1980s, we sure as heck got to WWII. It was Viet Nam we never managed to talk about.
farren over 15 years ago
We got to WWII, too. Didn’t get to Vietnam, but it hadn’t happened yet.
As for “WWII vets - use them or lose them”, there are still thousands of WWII vets alive and kicking - remember, it only ended 60 years ago, and since the average vet was probably in his early twenties, if that, that means they’re only 80 or so now. Lots are probably younger than that. 80 is old, but it isn’t that old.
farren over 15 years ago
However, I agree totally with pschearer’s last paragraph. All of it.
runar over 15 years ago
Maybe pschearer either was in high school in the 1930s or he never got that far. My high school history got to the French in Indochina in the textbooks and we discussed the then-current involvement.
ChihiroRoseBud over 12 years ago
We totally got to World War 2, In both History AND English actually.