DAD SERVED HIS COUNTRY WELL IN WWII

I am from the World War II generation. My youth was in the Great Depression, which tempered all who lived it.The discipline of military service--indeed, the service itself in World War II--had a marked effect on some 14 million Americans who served. . . .Some of our generation had to participate in the Korean War. . . .We sent our sons to Vietnam if our sons wanted to serve. . . .The Vietnam War was the beginning of the sharp divisions in our country between those who served and those who did not or who did not support the war effort. It was during this era that we began to question values that had served us well for generations. Patriotism, to some, meant protest. . . .Our own children, known by some as the Yuppie Generation, were badly split over Vietnam and social mores. . . .Our World War II generation had a large role in the civil rights revolution of the ’60s. Many of the Yuppie Generation participated as well--thus, a joint effort which reached across the two generations. The revolution was momentous in the history of our country. It stands as one of the nation’s highest achievements--a revolution engaged in under law and contained within the law. . . .Our country is passing now into your hands. We call you Generation X, and we wonder what your values will be and what your aspirations will be for our country and for your fellow citizens.Based on my observations of my own grandchildren, I believe that Generation X will be one of our greatest. Your values will increasingly be in the public interest. You will accept the challenge of doing something about the poor public schools and about the 15 percent of our population who live below the poverty level. You are our hope--our highest hope. . . .You have received a good education and are in a better position to serve others than many Americans. I hope that you will adopt the standard of noblesse oblige: To those to whom much is given, of them is much expected. . . .The great Russian writer, Tolstoy, . . . when asked by Russian tribesmen to tell them about President Lincoln, responded, “The reason he was great was his values. Everything that he did was rooted in four great values: humanity and justice, truth and pity.”Truth is important. It is the bedrock of our legal system, and the legal system is the bedrock of our country. . . .Justice is that which is rendered in the legal system. It is the redeeming virtue of our country that no person is above the law and no person is below the law; we are all equal before the law. . . .Humanity and pity are the two other values mentioned by Tolstoy. A strong feeling of humanity would make us ever more attentive to the problems of poverty and education, and to seeing that every American is treated fairly and has a fair chance. Pity is more for the individual basis, but is a mark of decency. . . .Even with its blemishes, ours is a great country--the greatest. I have always said that I am proud to be a Puerto Rican but am proudest of all to be an American.