Not mine but thought provoking.

[TexasLawman]

I talked to a man today

I talked with a man today, an 80+-year-old man. I asked him if there was anything I can get him while this Coronavirus scare was gripping America.

He simply smiled, looked away and said:

"Let me tell you what I need! I need to believe in, at some point, this country my generation fought for... I need to believe in this nation we handed safely to our children and their children...

I need to know this generation will quit being a bunch of sissies...that they will respect what they've been given...that they've earned what others sacrificed for."

I wasn't sure where the conversation was going or if it was going anywhere at all. So, I sat there, quietly observing.

"You know, I was a little boy during WWII. Those were scary days. We didn't know if we were going to be speaking English, German or Japanese at the end of the war. There was no certainty, no guarantees like Americans enjoy today.

And no home went without sacrifice or loss. Every house, up and down every street, had someone in harm's way. Maybe their Daddy was a soldier, maybe their son was a sailor, maybe it was an uncle. Sometimes it was the whole damn family...fathers, sons, uncles...

Having someone you love, sent off to war...it wasn't less frightening than it is today. It was scary as Hell. If anything, it was more frightening. We didn't have battlefront news. We didn't have email or cellphones. You sent them away and you hoped...you prayed. You may not hear from them for months, if ever. Sometimes a mother was getting her son's letters the same day Dad was comforting her over their child's death.

And we sacrificed. You couldn't buy things. Everything was rationed. You were only allowed so much milk per month, only so much bread, toilet paper. EVERYTHING was restricted for the war effort. And what you weren't using, what you didn't need, things you threw away, they were saved and sorted for the war effort. My generation was the original recycling movement in America.

And we had viruses back then...serious viruses. Things like polio, measles, and such. It was nothing to walk to school and pass a house or two that was quarantined. We didn't shut down our schools. We didn't shut down our cities. We carried on, without masks, without hand sanitizer. And do you know what? We persevered. We overcame. We didn't attack our President, we came together. We rallied around the flag for the war. Thick or thin, we were in it to win. And we would lose more boys in an hour of combat than we lose in entire wars today."

He slowly looked away again. Maybe I saw a small tear in the corner of his eye. Then he continued:

"Today's kids don't know sacrifice. They think sacrifice is not having coverage on their phone while they freely drive across the country. Today's kids are selfish and spoiled. In my generation, we looked out for our elders. We helped out with single moms whose husbands were either at war or dead from war. Today's kids rush the store, buying everything they can...no concern for anyone but themselves. It's shameful the way Americans behave these days. None of them deserve the sacrifices their granddads made.

So, no I don't need anything. I appreciate your offer but, I know I've been through worse things than this virus. But maybe I should be asking you, what can I do to help you? Do you have enough pop to get through this, enough steak? Will you be able to survive with 113 channels on your tv?"

I smiled, fighting back a tear of my own...now humbled by a man in his 80's. All I could do was thank him for the history lesson, leave my number for emergency and leave with my ego firmly tucked in my rear.

I talked to a man today. A real man. An American man from an era long gone and forgotten. We will never understand the sacrifices. We will never fully earn their sacrifices. But we should work harder to learn about them..learn from them...to respect them. ❤️ Author unknown.

[jimeka]

That is a very heart warming and truthful account. It should be read to all children in schools. 😊 thank you 👍

[RoyceNewton]

very good read, makes you a little sad for....

[DIsneyQueen]

Thank you. A nice way to start my day, right after my day and thanking God again for all I do have.

[twooldcrows]

wonderful to read and so much truth to it ...it should be put in the newspaper and on the tv to hopefully open a few peoples eyes on what is really going on and how we all should be helping each other more and not crying the blues on what we don't have or what we can't do ...this is truly worth reading...thank you ...

[rjoneslaw]

thank you 4 that.

This new generation needs to understand that but they will never listen because everything has been given to them

[agapepilgrim in reply to rjoneslaw]

They will never listen, they will never change - they are the ME FIRST generation. We can put the blame where it belongs but it doesn’t matter, it is too late,?the millennial generation is a me first generation. What will the next one be - if there is a next one. Most of them don’t even won’t children. Let’s enjoy our flower gardens and repeat the Serenity Prayer.

[agapepilgrim]

😢

[BettysMom]

There is plenty of truth in this especially about the younger generations. However there are a lot of 80+ year-olds that are acting like jerks right now, too.

[Peruzzot]

Like many though, he forgot about all the women who also served in the Army, Navy, Army Air Corps (later called the Air Force), Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Many served overseas, were prisoners of war, and lost their lives. It wasn't just the men who fought in uniform during WWII. Women served in every aspect, except direct combat.

But his point is well taken about sacrifices made by all.

[mrsmike9 in reply to Peruzzot]

Very true! Both my dad's sisters were WACS.

[Peruzzot in reply to mrsmike9]

My Grandmother, mother's mother, wanted to be a WAVE, but she was rejected for being too short. Minimum height requirement was 5 feet tall. She was only 4'6". She served as a civilian Navy registered nurse instead and that's how she met my grandfather, a Navy Seabee.

[mrsmike9 in reply to Peruzzot]

How cool! I love ancestry-type stories!

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

Good post, TexasLawman

[2littletime]

Thank you TexasLawman...I will definitely share this with my kids & grandkids!

[Texandyroe]

Thanks for sharing.

[Amore55]

Thank you. My Mom and Dad lived to be very, very old and told me about the Great Depression, Ww2, in which my father was a humble hero. They used to speak like this man. I had 2 brothers serve in Vietnam, I was just a little girl, in first and second grade, but I remember the stars on our windows and them being in uniforms. So many heroes. Now we are a nation they would not like very much. Selfish, needy. Thank you to the greatest generation.

[daveh121]

That about sums everything up nicely.

Thanks for passing it on.