If history is any indication, Generation X did not invent the term “colossal mistake.” The Greatest Generation, which fought WWII and rebuilt a country, also introduced us to a little known country called Vietnam.
The baby boomers, who courageously fought and died in its steaming jungles and rice paddies, in turn introduced my generation, and yours, to war in the ancient lands of Afghanistan and Iraq.
I've had a few weird incidents with WWII Generation peeps that left a negative impression on me.
In high school a teacher I had, that also happened to have been a WWII vet, went into a rant about the Vietnam Veterans being somehow inferior since many had come back with mental problems (PTSD). My Pop served in the 101st Airborne and spent nearly all of 1966 in combat, so I felt offended and argued with the old goon. The dispute didn't go anywhere since my debating skills at age 17 sucked and dissolved to me saying "whatever" about a dozen times. What pissed me off most was how this teacher somehow thought his time as a WWII tank mechanic was somehow more admirable than my Pop being an infantryman in knee-deep shit in Vietnam's jungles. And why would he want to bash another generations' servicemen anyway?
In another incident, I met my buddy's grandfather at some silly social gathering (if I remember correctly it was my bud's college graduation party). Within a minute of our conversation he let me know he's a WWII Vet and said "you should thank me for your freedom".
This didn't even seem relevant in the context of our conversation. I mean, WWII concluded 26 years before I fell out of my mother, but I felt as though he tried to make me feel guilty for not being there. Christ almighty, everyone in Our Country appreciated what he probably had done, but there's no justifiable reason to hold this over my head.
Whatever, I guess. Hopefully I just ran into the only 2 bad eggs out there.
2 comments:
There are bad eggs in all generations that give us a bad name. You have probably met lots more of the Greatest Generation and didn't even know it, because they just did their thing without much hoopla. When I attended a Vietnam Veteran's reunion (Ia Drang Valley) I watched those old guys ooh and aah over the young Iraq war vets who were guests. Many of the Vietnam vets were of the Greatest Generation - not boomers - and they were gushing over the young men.
I'm sure there will be a few kids that'll meet me and say "I met the biggest Gen X asshole.....". Haha!
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