A Modern American Generation's Sacrifice Essay

“The hope of a mill worker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a kid who believes that America is a place for him.” “The dropouts and hippies are not afraid of failure as their parents and grandparents.” There will always be difficulty, uncertainty, and audacity in the face of opportunities.

The Vietnam war exposed a generation of Americans to the fallacy of American exceptionalism by exposing the magnitude of grievances the Government was willing to commit at the expense of Human lives. “For nine years victory wavered [in the Trojan War]” (Hamilton 261), for nearly twenty years media claims of American victory in Vietnam remained unfounded .”[Trojan] Men sickened and died so [often] that funeral pyres were burning continuously (Hamilton 261) as did their modern American counterparts.Both wars ended in part to the deviation of its constituents, anti-war movements eventually influenced Government as did the secretive actions of the few (the Trojan Horse) constrain further conflict. As, the current President continues to augment the U.S., seemingly in preparation for conflict, it is imperative that we remember from experience that swift revolutionary civil disobedience rather than reactionary civil obedience after grievances have been committed will ensure that the lives of Millions do not become

In America’s pastime, there were many conflicts that continued to help shape America. Citizens were becoming more aware and concerned about how America was managed, as conflict was becoming a regular misfortune for the country. Events such as progressivism, the roaring twenties, and the stock market crash may have seemed like a negative time in the United States at face value, but the overall impacts and effects helped establish innovations that still positively influence the lives of citizens today.

Wars are a difficult place to be. “THE VIETNAM WAR transformed a generation” (Roberts 1). With all that happened during the war such as exposure to

In Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation, the author portrays ordinary people of a certain generation as having qualities of greatness and heroism. He tells stories of average people that lived inspiring lives through many hardships, and declares today’s society as the beneficiary of their challenging work and commitment. Brokaw’s generous and proficient use of imagery helps to persuade the reader to believe that the people of “the greatest generation” are, indeed, heroic. He defines the strength and resilience of “the greatest generation” by what they were able to confront and overcome.

Just this one person took many intersting jobs, and these are just a few; sold iron cords, picked peaches, worked the strip mines, cut boys hair, hung wallpaper, sold coal orders, and worked on the WPA. This was only one person, in a family of three. That family before was rich, but during these hard times, they lived off of pennies and dimes. They had gotten rid of milk delivery, ice delivery, most of their gas range, evening paper, and they had sold their car. The only reason they survived the Great Depression was because of the father's willingness to take any job, and the mother's ability to stretch every penny as far as it could

In the decades after the “Good War,” many attempts have been made to extol this generation in the media. Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II by Kenneth D. Rose, attempts to shine light on how life actually was for the generation that survived World War II, and came to be known as the greatest generation, rather than how that generation appears to us today.

When Americans first set their eyes on the 20th century, they hoped for a better life without war and a prospering economy. This vision of freedom and liberty in America was quite bold, knowing there were challenges ahead. There’s always a price to pay and obstacles to go through when the circumstances are not ideal. During the early 1900s, our country was evolving and starting a new era. An era where blacks were no longer slaves, civil rights movements were occurring, and citizens were having issues with the law. It was a moment in time that helped us understand why these events occurred. From those events, wars, and movements, we can learn and improve from any flaws we may encounter. As a nation, we will be better prepared and aware of these scenarios because we reflect on our country’s past.

First, America declared war on terror,military was sent to Afghanistan and many soldiers remain in the ,middle east today. Aproximatly 3.1 milion americans joined the military and two million american soldiers were either deployed to iraq or afganistan. Between 2001 and 2011 more than 6000 american soulders were killed and almost 44,000 were wounded. After returning, more than eighteen percent have post traumatic stress disorder or depression. Twenty percent reported suffering tramatic brain energy during deployment.

"They came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America; men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage made our nation the greatest on earth." This quote is fittingly descriptive of the achievements and importance the post World War II generation had on us. In Tom Brokaw's Book, The Greatest Generation, Brokaw describes in a very personal and detailed way, the lives of a handful of World War II veterans, some famous and others unknown, but all had a great impact on the world as we know it. Brokaw is trying to illustrate to us how these men delivered under enormous and constant pressure, and he

“The Greatest Generation” is a term used to describe the generation who were the children of the Great Depression and who became the adults of the Second World War (Brokaw). There may be strong reasons why other generations may be considered great. The generation born during the war undertook the task of putting a man on the moon. This is perhaps the most important of all human endeavors. They are certainly worthy of being considered great but not the greatest. In fifteen years America and indeed the world endured the crushing poverty of the Great Depression and the costliest war in all of human history. The enormous struggles and accomplishments of this generation is what makes it the greatest.

Despite the state of the situation, Americans have developed a unique sense of identity and we can always seem to be optimistic we can benefit change. Whether we create change, follow change, or need change, this identity which brings it about represents all the people, and serves the good of all. The ability to reform, adapt, and recover as an American is unmatched. This theme of a developing identity continues to develop up to modern day and will never stop evolving. With new challenges arising on the horizon, it is our responsibility as the people to never forget our history, as it defines our identity, destiny, and most importantly, what it means to be

Over the past century, people living in the United States have experienced many changes. As the times change, so do the people. In the 1920's, people acted differently then compared to the people in the 1960's. Yet, they both have one thing in common; they shaped our history.

“War at its basic level has always been about soldiers. Nations rose and fell on the strength of their armies and the men who filled the ranks.” This is a very powerful quote, especially for the yet young country of the United States, for it gives credit where credit is truly due: to the men who carried out the orders from their superiors, gave their blood, sweat and tears, and in millions of cases their lives while fighting for ideals that they believed their country or government was founded upon, and to ensure the continuation of these ideals. Up until the end of the 20th Century, they did so in the worst of conditions, and this includes not only the battle scene, but also every day life. In

However, we must remember an important fact: our generation of American faces the same wall of hopelessness that stood before those who lived through the Great Depression – and they overcame it. What we can take from them, is that we can succeed if we accept the simple fact that we must do what must be done, even if it isn’t desirable. If we graduate with a degree in fashion marketing and fail to secure employment, we work at a retail store in order to pay rent and get the bills paid. Running around for hours to work in a store takes grit; being underemployed takes gut; learning from experience and applying it to one’s life creates character. And one day, we grow. That in my belief is “the Dream.” For too many versions of “the Dream” equate prosperity to happiness, happiness I feel is not so simple. This makes it seem that the American Dream may always remain tantalizingly out of reach for some Americans, making the dream more like a cruel joke rather than a genuine dream. Perhaps, what our generation needs is to