At the recommendation of one of the best people I know I have started watching the HBO series from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Band of Brothers. The first episode was underwhelming as it followed the Airborne volunteers through basic training, but then the second episode got me thinking. It was an hourish long episode that displayed the preparations for D-Day and the actual fighting of that day. The scene shows dozens of American aircraft with 9 men on each ready to parachute their way into Nazi controlled France to try and loosen up the Nazi’s for the impending invasion in the morning. Many planes were shot out of the sky and many men never got to jump. The majority of those that did jump were either killed en route or as they landed. Those who weren’t killed almost all missed their intended targets and were left to regroup once they landed. Those who were then lucky enough to find other American paratroopers were quickly engaged in fire fights with the Nazi’s (or Krauts as they’re referred to in the show) and both sides would mercilessly mow down the other.
As I watched this I thought, “I could never ever do this.” I wondered how anyone was able to do this. Of course I live in a different time and the Nazi’s aren’t threatening to take over much of the world, but this sort of impersonal killing is so seemingly easy and tragic. I was shocked at how brave so many of these men were, yet how casually they were able to take human life. When those men who actually served were interviewed before the episode it gave you chills to hear their accounts of their fear and courage during those days. They followed their training and due to that D-Day was a successful operation and within 9 months the Allies were into Germany and within a year Hitler had committed suicide and the Nazi’s surrendered.
Many have called this generation “The Greatest Generation” for their bravery and courage to beat back the worst in humanity. Few men ever resisted the call to serve and many even volunteered. In our current time this sort of service is unimaginable. But is it understandable? I would contend yes. I think service to one another is our highest sacred obligation, but tragically many Americans do not trust their government enough to blindly defend that government in battle. With the governments clear lies and misleading in Vietnam and Iraq young people no longer believe that our declaring was is a righteous battle against evil, but see it as politicians using a generation to achieve some abstract goal.
The sad truth is that it is not a lazy and apathetic generation of young Americans, but it is the gaul of our own government to misrepresent the truth that has left a sour taste in that generations mouth to serve that government. When I watched that episode of Band of Brothers I wanted to serve others. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough, but the question is, what should we do? What will our righteous victory be in this generation? We have no Nazi’s to defeat, but there are plenty of people (not governments) to serve, if only we open our eyes.
I can't imagine it either, but you're right it was a different time. A draft made sure it was real for everyone in our nation, the Nazi's were not something that could be ignored. That was a HUGE way to serve people. It makes my efforts seem pitiful but that shouldn't be an excuse to do nothing.
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