A man who was part of the American psyche as I grew up. I was that generational bridge. I'm old enough to have grown up hearing about That President on the Dollar, God Bless America, and of course that legendary Greatest Generation. America was great, our heritage a blessing, and though we had our bad parts - as all civilizations do - our heart and soul was in the right place.
I'm young enough to have watched that be dismantled and destroyed. Our racist founders, genocidal imperialists all, our evil and racist government, all white Americans who are necessarily all racist, our military industrial complex funneling money into our baby killing soldiers to oppress the world for oil, and a generation whose soldiers were probably no better than the Japanese or Nazis they fought.
But Mr. Mendonsa was from a different, saner and better time. A generation that rose to the challenge and rescued the world from real, not made up or imagined, terrors. Back then, Mr. Mendonsa expressed the exuberance and relief that came with the end to that most horrible of all wars.
Today it would be a #MeToo moment. Back then everyone smiled and rejoiced with him, even as they would mourn those hundreds of thousands who experienced the ultimate loss. Today we'd have lawsuits and protests and social media warriors pushing to have him destroyed for being part of the great Evil Nation or the guilty gender; a generation accomplishing nothing but destroying the civilization it inherited, and justifying it through a near addiction to self-righteous contempt for doing anything but criticizing others.
Nonetheless, thank you Mr. Mendosa, for what you and your peers actually did in the real world. You were better than us. Perhaps we are your fault, I don't know. Maybe the greatest generation was the worst parents. But for stopping the actual evils of the time, you rose to the occasion. May God bless you and keep you, and give strength not only to your loved ones, but for the hurting country you leave behind.
Excellent post Dave. My sentiment as well. Self-absorbed and completely ignorant of what it means to be a patriot, a true blue American.
ReplyDeleteGod bless our veterans.
God bless them indeed, and there are many out there today who need our prayers and support.
DeleteRe-runs of Paul Harvey's broadcasts should be mandatory listening imho. Of course you can lead a horse to water....but you can't make him drink.
ReplyDeleteWe can pray. Fr.Richard Heilman and his 54 day rosary novenas have been picking up speed. Check him out if you haven't already.
I miss listening to Paul Harvey. Definitely from a different world.
DeleteLast month I had just bought a print of this image at a convention.
ReplyDeleteI should probably try hanging it today.
Thank you for your service, Mr. Mendonsa.
Timely. I wonder how many young'uns would get the reference.
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