What gets to me -- what always gets to me -- is how so many ordinary people pulled together to do the job they had to do. Bloody and awful as it was, they just did it, not because they were heroes, but because they were Americans.
In one of the cars at the parade today were a last vanguard of those troops, who are passing into history every day. I recognized Fran Mullins, but didn't get a good glimpse of the others. They just looked like old men.
But in that film on PBS tonight, they were mere boys - and a long, long way from home.
It's comforting in a way to consider the nightmare they, and our country, faced in defeating Hitler and his allies. Most of them came through it, came home, and got on with life.
It's sobering, of course, to see the memorials in nearly every town that list the many who didn't get the chance to come home, to know that many families suffered so much.
But can anyone doubt that at least in that terrible war, the sacrifice made sense?
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
3 comments:
God Bless America's Greatest Generation.
It is a very much worth viewing.
I plan to see it all.
Having seen some of Mr. Burns' work prior to this, I'm not at all surprised at the quality of THIS work.It is indeed an excellent documentary of how all these extraordinary men and women sacrificed to protect not only OUR way of life, but that of freedom lovers worldwide!It is certainly worth watching!
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