• by George Simpson , Featured Contributor, June 8, 2017

Whenever I see gatherings to mark an anniversary of some event from World War II, the honorees are almost universally in wheelchairs, looking every bit the 85 or 95 years old that they have become.

And while I am pleased that they are being recognized, it's also sad that for many younger generations, this is the only interaction with or memory they will ever have of what is rightly called The Greatest Generation.

While some of their greatness might have been their reaction to tyranny abroad and their willingness to sacrifice their lives so that those at home and generations to come could live in relative peace, I saw greatness in their selflessness in so many other ways.

Raised in the Depression, they had a greater appreciation for what we consider routine in our lives now: meals every day, clean clothes, a place to live, a job, enough left over to put a toy or two under the Christmas tree or keep saving so that someday they might afford a car of their own.

Nothing was taken for granted, and they were humiliated by handouts. Which was OK, since then we didn't have all of the entitlement programs that today take at least some of the pain from the lives of the downtrodden.

Since jobs were few and far between, this generation developed a willingness to do whatever work was necessary to feed their families.

Once on the job, they had ferocious work ethics. They stepped up wherever there was a need.

New Brownie Scout troop doesn't have a leader? "I'll do it." No funds to teach the illiterate how to read? "Don't worry, I'll do it for free."  The hospital needs volunteers to comfort and help patients write home? "Put me down for 15 hours a week."

Perhaps it was their way of giving back for surviving the deprivations of the Depression and World War II, but there was never a thought that "I'm too tired to take on anything else" or "I expect they'll get someone eventually." "Can do" was more than just a slogan to them.

This group had a sense of responsibility that seems out of fashion today.  If they promised that a job would be done, it was, often before the deadline, with their best efforts behind it. There was no "calling it in" those days. They had pride in their accomplishments, and felt that anything less than their best reflected poorly on them.

I suspect there are exceptions to any broad generalizations about the Greatest Generation, but by and large they had a strong moral compass that seems quaint compared to what we see around us today -- a very black-and-white sense of what was right and wrong.

They tended to do the right thing, especially if it mean preserving their personal honor, which was central to their sense of self and governed not only their behavior but was an essential quality they tried to teach their children. But you have to look no further than the White House to see that not every kid "got it."

All these qualities helped create a sense of community that in our hand-held electronic age seems lost.

Without question, this generation should have been more inclusive to other races, religions and sociopolitical views. Still, they seemed to always be there for their friends and neighbors, staying in touch with personal visits and phone calls. If someone was in trouble, everyone closed ranks behind them and offered whatever aid was necessary to help get them through it.

I hope, as we thank them and bury them, we won't let the values they tried to pass along to younger generations fade with time.