Being a Role Model
by Chris J. Fetcko

In the wake of the D-Day memorials, a June 8th column at Accuracy in Media by Reid Collins titled The Forgotten Generation began with this: "When the Graves Registration boys searched the bodies of GI's on the D-Day beaches, and later in the European forests, they often found photographs to be put in the collected effects. Not of Betty Grable or Chili Williams, but of Mom and Pop, parents of the dead. Which broaches the question, "Which greatest generation?""

Collins goes on to elaborate on the many trials and hardships suffered by the parents of the WWII generation. And he gives credit where credit is due by posing the possibility that perhaps it wasn't the generation labeled the "greatest" by Tom Brokaw that deserved this distinction, but the generation that spawned them.

I know that my commentary will not be read by as many people as Collins' and I certainly won't get the exposure of Mr Brokaw's book, but I would like to offer a compromise. I suggest that we rename the generation that saved the world from Nazi domination and made all the sacrifices necessary to win WWII, "The Last Great Generation," since it is my contention that there were many generations prior to theirs equally deserving of our respect and admiration.

But what has happened since that has broken this noble chain of greatness in our society's evolution? Certainly there have been individuals born in the last 50-55 years that deserve the label of "great", but why has there not been a whole generation worthy of this veneration?

The Last Great Generation was raised as children of the Great Depression and witnessed firsthand the sacrifices that their parents willingly made for their benefit. Their role models were people who demonstrated virtues like honor, duty, courage and the selflessness necessary to provide for a family at a time when most could not provide for themselves. The Last Great Generation learned that sometimes you have to forgo personal wants and comforts for the sake of the greater good. After all, adversity is the fire in which is tempered the mettle of our character.

It was no wonder that after the war all they wanted was to make the world a better place where their children would never know the hardships that they suffered. A noble goal, but at what cost? Perhaps the "Happy Days" of the prosperous 50's were a poor backdrop upon which to demonstrate the character traits that would have prevented the "Me Generation" and "If it feels good, do it".

This may just be a case of the best of intentions and a flourishing post-war economy conspiring to produce a generation of people devoid of the moral compunction necessary to realize that one's actions have consequences. That a person has responsibilities extending beyond self and ego and desire. That giving of one's self isn't a burden, but a sacred duty. And that freedom comes with a price.

This first Post-Great Generation has since produced Generation X which produced Generation Y. Each heralded by equally dreary outlooks for a recovery of the values lost and so sorely missed when we reminisce about the Last Great Generation.

But I believe there is hope. Today we are seeing the beginnings of a trend. Young people who are the product of broken homes do not want to put their own children through the experience of having to grow up as an object of leverage between divorced parents. They have witnessed the damage created by those whose only concern was for self. The trend indicates a greater appreciation for personal responsibility through abstinence, fidelity and a desire to stay married.

Should we hope for hard times so we can better demonstrate to our children virtue in the face of adversity? Of course not. Each generation hopes that their children will have a better life than they did. So then how can we ensure that we do not produce another generation of hippies when the stock market revives?

I think the answer lies in learning from history. Just because we are prosperous does not mean that we cannot teach our children how to be selfless and responsible, and brave and virtuous. Of course all of these lessons take time. I know it's a busy world, but instead of chasing the almighty dollar to give our children everything they want, we should spend some time being a role model, which is what children need. Is not the future of our families, our country, our world worth the sacrifice?

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