A Generation That Will Live in Infamy
“December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.” These words are remembered as the beginning of the kickstart of America’s greatest generation’s fight to save the world from tyranny and their valiant defense of democratic principles.
You may not realize this same generation was fighting with a hand tied behind its back.
Before this thought fills you with even more admiration, I must tell you that they were insistent it remain there. In fact, it had been tied there for so long that they felt God’s providence had tied it and were willing to do anything to keep it there.
The “greatest” generation (quotations needed) was fighting a war with an adversary that lauded the American way – that of segregation and oppression. The German Reich modeled its anti-Jew laws after those of the Jim Crow South, and their rhetoric and defense of those actions were kin.
The result was that even while fighting fascism, the GI fighting man served in segregated formations. And, even when black Americans were permitted to serve, they were typically relegated to menial positions of servitude. Not only did this deprive the Allied war machine of the great black military minds, but it validated and upheld systems of oppression in society at large.
You may coddle feelings of pride in the “greatest” generation with token examples such as the Tuskegee Airmen. And you are right that some overcame the bonds that would keep their bravery tied. But let us not pretend it is somehow better that they had institutional barriers and hurdles to overcome before they could place themselves in harm’s way.
The astute of you would notice my use of terms like “fighting man” and be irked, others not. I call attention to this because women, over 50% of the Nation’s population, were also denied the opportunity for honorable service in nearly all military roles by the “greatest” generation.
The result that a few persons were determined to break institutions of oppression upheld by other Americans does not absolve those who, through action or inaction, allowed their oppression to occur.
Desmond Tutu said clearly, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Upon the war’s end, the “greatest” generation did not return with a new purpose to correct the Nation’s wrongs but instead wished to reinstate and reinforce institutions of segregation and patriarchy.
I hope to lay bare the utter failing of the “greatest” generation not to detract from their innumerable acts of heroism, sacrifice, and bravery but to remind us all that they, like we, are merely people. Like we must be honest about them, future generations must and will judge us not by a singular simplified memory but by discrete actions.
The American fighter is better, faster, and stronger when all Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, or sexual orientation, are not only permitted but encouraged to serve with honor and distinction. Imagine what could have been if America had fought with all bodies free to do so.
Now is the Time to Write Our History
We must not allow ourselves to be persuaded by lies mouthed with anti-wokeness rhetoric, wrapped in an American flag, and nationalist ideals pretending to be patriotism. We cannot be neutral when people not only wish but act to undo decades of (even now incomplete) progress.
There are concerted efforts to identify and remove military leaders who value and move diversity efforts forward. Pete Hegseth, a vocal advocate of the anti-woke and current nominee for Secretary of Defense, espouses Christian Nationalism, something incompatible with a pluralistic society. Stephen Miller is preparing to lead America into a repeat of the Japanese internment camps, leveled at immigrant people, both documented and not. Even being a US citizen will not protect all from discrimination should they be first generation citizens.
Do I think you should remember the sacrifices after December 7th? Yes, of course. But so, too, remember all that was -and is- greedily held from others: the American dream. Progress can be lost. We could be a generation that will live in infamy.
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