Honoring Our Veterans...and a rare thank you to Hollywood
Veterans Day is almost upon us and I think sometimes we fail to grasp the importance of this day and what it trully means. This is a day set aside to honor those people who proudly served in our nation's armed forces, and not just those who saw combat, but all that have done their time in service to our country. It's a day that, sadly, seems more political now than it has in the past, what with all the mindless banter going on regarding our current struggle against the free world's enemies. We need to recognize that the ones that are paying the price every day now, and in the past, deserve our respect and admiration for answering the call of duty.
World War II has been over for 62 years now, but we need to look back at this historic struggle and realize just how much sacrifice was given during this enormous struggle against the forces of tyranny. Conservative estimates alone put the combined military and civilian death toll at well over 70 million souls. The US had over 16 million men and women on active duty during WWII, and the total combat deaths of our US forces was over 407,000 dead. These nubmers pale in comparison to what the Soviet Union suffered during the war. They lost over 26 million people to the war, military and civilian combined!
World War II has been over for 62 years now, but we need to look back at this historic struggle and realize just how much sacrifice was given during this enormous struggle against the forces of tyranny. Conservative estimates alone put the combined military and civilian death toll at well over 70 million souls. The US had over 16 million men and women on active duty during WWII, and the total combat deaths of our US forces was over 407,000 dead. These nubmers pale in comparison to what the Soviet Union suffered during the war. They lost over 26 million people to the war, military and civilian combined!
Thankfully, over the last decade or so, our younger generation has been made more aware of the historical perspective of WWII. The country as a whole has seen a resurgance of respect for the men and women who served during that time. I think it was Tom Brokaw who dubbed them the Greatest Generation. But we as a nation probably owe more thanks to a couple of Hollywood heavyweights for bringing the events of WWII and the people who served, back to the attention of our younger generations.
Yes, a much needed shout of thanks to someone in Hollywood who did get it right. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have, in my opinion, done more to reinvigorate our memories of WWII than anyone else has. Their collaboration first on "Saving Private Ryan" in 1997 and again on "Band of Brothers" in 2001 are some of the finest examples of movie making and entertainment you will ever find. It was their way of paying tribute to those who served during the war and of bringing back the memories of that time so we, as a nation, will never forget the sacrifices that were made in the course of freedom's fight against tyranny. "Saving Private Ryan" raised the bar in it's depiction of the violence of war and it's realistic portrayal on film. It is widely praised as one of the greatest movies ever made. "Band of Brothers" has raised the bar when it comes to TV miniseries, rarely wavering from it's focus on the grim reality that was the European theater of WWII. I can honestly say that I have watched both of these close to 100 times. They are that important to me.
It goes without saying that Spielberg and Hanks have done a great service to all of us by awakening the memories of WWII and giving the veterans of that war the recognition that they trully deserve. There are not many of those WWII veterans left, but the ones that are still around..........They have my respect........and they trully deserve yours.
Thanks...................CG
..... Ya know what CG you make a very good point that just occurred to me, that being we don't hear much about Hollywood folk that don't hate America. .....The honor some of the people have shown our troops is almost over whelming. Thanks for a good write up on those who do honor our troops. Your points to me are well taken ..... the one thing that strikes me very hard right at this instant is why did it not hit me sooner and harder? Good job big guy!!!!!!
While Spielberg hasn't been front and center supporting our troops in the war on terror, I do have to agree that his collaborations with Hanks on the aforementioned examples were shining exceptions in an otherwise very "blame America first", very "make excuses for the terrorists" Hollywood.
Far as I'm concerned, God Bless Our Troops: then, now, and always. What we owe them can never begin to be paid. But we need to try. And it needs to start with a Congress that supports our troops in the field, gives them the tools to win, and takes care of wounded veterans. It also needs to stiff the Kucinich kooks, the Moron.arg sect, et al.