The Greatest Generation

Tom Brokaw coined the phrase that the young adults in WWII were "the greatest generation." According to his book they sacrificed in WWII and then came back to build American industry and make loads of other contributions to our country. All that is true but I have always been bothered by the characterization.

Along comes Peggy Noonan in a great little book called Patriotic Grace. Noonan makes a superb case for the restoration of civic discourse. But in one section she argues that the Boomers have had their own challenges. As opposed to the "greatest" generation that lost more than 400,000 to battle casualties - the boomers lost about 55,000 in Vietnam. However, the prior generation came back to adulation and support of all types. The boomers came back to boos.

More importantly, the "greatest" generation laid the foundations of an expansive government in all areas - many of the deficits that we face today came from entitlements which the "greatest" established without thinking about how to pay for the out year costs. Noonan also points out that the boomers were among the first to become financially responsible for two generations (taking care of their parents and their children at the same time).

All of this should not denigrate the very real contributions that Brokaw's book amply demonstrates. But Noonan's point is worth thinking about. Ultimately, her point is that we are all in this system together, and we would do well to figure out how to think about our challenges not in rankings but together. Our heritage should be focused not on rankings but on shared experiences of the nation. Noonan's short book is vital reading for all of us who care about the future of the country.