Living the Definition of Greatness

GREAT. GREATER. GREATEST.

The word “great” has often been bantered around in our vocabulary. Webster dates the first use of it back to the 12th Century:

Large in number or measure

Remarkable in magnitude

Full of emotion

Long continued

Superior in character

Marked by enthusiasm

Sound familiar? It should . . . .

While it is true that every generation has its share of people who fully achieve the art of greatness, there has never been one like those born between 1901 and 1927. These are the people who grew up during The Great Depression. They went off to battle and won The Big One. They came home and built The United States into an economic powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with. They lived the meaning of sacrifice. They were humble, loyal and patriotic. Of course, they were not perfect by any means. However, they clearly had the capacity as a whole to face adversity head on, steadfast and without complaint. While labeling them over 75 years after the fact may sound like a bold claim, it is not one they asked for. They received it because they are our GREATEST GENERATION.

Suggested Reading:

Brokaw, Tom. The Greatest Generation. Random House, 1998.

Hello Jackie. I agree that the World War II generation is our greatest! Personally, I had the good fortune of having four great-uncles who served in WWII both in the Pacific and the European Theater. As is common, none of them spoke of their experieces much, but when they did, I clung to every word! One of the uncles lost his arm while fighting in France and was fitted with a prosthetic arm which featured a hook where the hand would normally be. As a child, I was fascinated by this but as I got older and learned how he had lost his arm, my appreciation for him grew dramatically. I only heard his story once and as he told it, he was hit by a German mortar, which completely severed his arm. The blast rendered him unconscious and his fellow troops assumed that he had been killed. When he regained consciousness, he realized that he was bleeding profusely. Fortunately, he had enough presence of mind to use his belt as a tourniquet and stop some of the bleeding. When the other soldiers returned to retrieve the dead, they discovered that he was still alive! Obviously, he was sent back to the United States, where he eventually married, raised a family and had a very lucrative career in the printing business. Examples like this are many and I give thanks everyday for the people who have sacrificed for the freedoms and lifestyle that we enjoy today!

Neil Fix

Replies

Neil Fix December 9, 2023 at 6:22pm

Hello Jackie. I agree that the World War II generation is our greatest! Personally, I had the good fortune of having four great-uncles who served in WWII both in the Pacific and the European Theater. As is common, none of them spoke of their experieces much, but when they did, I clung to every word! One of the uncles lost his arm while fighting in France and was fitted with a prosthetic arm which featured a hook where the hand would normally be. As a child, I was fascinated by this but as I got older and learned how he had lost his arm, my appreciation for him grew dramatically. I only heard his story once and as he told it, he was hit by a German mortar, which completely severed his arm. The blast rendered him unconscious and his fellow troops assumed that he had been killed. When he regained consciousness, he realized that he was bleeding profusely. Fortunately, he had enough presence of mind to use his belt as a tourniquet and stop some of the bleeding. When the other soldiers returned to retrieve the dead, they discovered that he was still alive! Obviously, he was sent back to the United States, where he eventually married, raised a family and had a very lucrative career in the printing business. Examples like this are many and I give thanks everyday for the people who have sacrificed for the freedoms and lifestyle that we enjoy today!

Neil Fix

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