The media hype over The Greatest Generation is definitely appropriate. When I foundit at the library, I thought I'd just read a chapter or two, but I soon realizedthis is more than a media-hyped book by a well-known public figure. As I read, itbecame clear that this is a series of meaningful accounts of ordinary people whodid extraordinary things.
Brokaw's motives in writing this book seemheartfelt. While preparing for a documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, hewrites, he underwent a "life-changing experience." He went to thelegendary beaches of Normandy to visit with American veterans as they returned tothe field that took the lives of their buddies, leaving horrific imprints onthem.
"I was deeply moved and profoundly grateful for all they haddone. I realized that they had been all around me as I was growing up and that Ihad failed to appreciate what they had been through," Brokaw writes. Hisbook is a tribute to his parents and their friends, as well as to theirconduct.
There are stories of men who built successful careers despitebeing disabled, women who overcame obstacles, and mino-rities who used adversityto improve their lives.
Brokaw met many of these people while researchingD-Day. Others he knew growing up in South Dakota. Some are ambivalent andconsider their achievements ordinary. Others, including George Bush and Bob Dole,were vaulted to political fame through their wartime experiences.
I wassurprised by the detail. Some information repeats history class, but reinforcesthe agony and truth of World War II. The book is easy to read, yet hard to putdown. Brokaw did a great job capturing the qualities of a generation who savedthe world. This is a truthful account of history and should be read by everystudent so we will all understand and remember those brave men and women, and theterrible price so many of them paid.
To those of the Greatest Generationwho sacrificed so much to make our continuing liberty possible, I thank you.
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