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Romans 13
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute
is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom
honour.
"The difficult we do at
once; the impossible takes a bit longer."
Motto of the Seabees
They are the generation whose vision and hard work created the
United States as we know it today-a bold, powerful and prosperous
nation.
Franklin Roosevelt: They had "a rendezvous with destiny".
They shook off the Great Depression and rejuvenated a failing
economy. They won a world war and hammered out a lasting peace.
They built a durable national infrastructure of interstate highways,
bridges, and dams. With skillful mothering and masterful teaching,
they raised the largest generation of American children.
Who are these people? They are the V E T E R A N S, especially
of WWII. They were born between 1922 and 1943. There were 16 million
of them but today there are less than four million and we are
losing them at a rate of 30,000 each month.
They built a space program and landed a man on the moon. They
created miracle vaccines and wiped out polio, tetanus, tuberculosis,
and whooping cough.
When people argue that we need a return to "family values"
they mean we need to go back to the morality of the Veterans.
When managers say young employees today lack a work ethic, what
they mean is they don't have the work ethic of Veterans. They
are variously labeled the Traditionalists, Matures, Silents, Loyalists,
GI Joes, and Seniors. They account for 25% of the work population.
CORE VALUES OF THE VETERANS
| • |
Dedication/Sacrifice |
| • |
Hard work |
| • |
Conformity |
| • |
Law and order |
| • |
Respect for authority |
| • |
Patience |
| • |
Delayed reward |
| • |
Duty before pleasure |
| • |
Adherence before rules |
| • |
Honor |
| |
The children of the 1920's and 1930's grew up in hard times.
Have you heard it said: "I walked three miles to school,
uphill both ways through the snow and wind……." |
In 1929, the Stock Market crashed and the bottom fell out of
the American economy. The early 1930's ushered in the Great Depression.
Nine million Americans lost their life savings. 86,000 businesses
closed. 2,000 banks failed. Millions of workers lost their jobs.
By 1932 14 million people were unemployed or one out of every
four workers.
THE VETERANS
Original Events
1927 Lindbergh completed first trans-Atlantic crossing
1929 Stock Market crashes
1930 U.S. Depression deepens
1931 Star Spangled Banner becomes the national anthem
1932 FDR elected President
1933 The Dust Bowl and the New Deal
1934 Social Security System established
1937 Hindenburg tragedy
1937 Hitler invades Austria
1941 Peal Harbor , United States enters WWII
1944 D-Day in Normandy
1945 FDR dies, Victory in Europe and Japan
1950 Korean War
The 1930's was a "do without era", but America's new
generation of hardy scouts had gumption--to get things done…..to
accomplish any worthy goal……to "bear any burden,
pay any price." The Empire State building was built as a
spirit of the times during this time being completed in 1931.
THE VETERANS
| Cultural Memorabilia |
| • |
Kewpie Dolls |
| • |
Mickey Mouse |
| • |
Flash Gordon |
| • |
The Golden Era of Radio |
| • |
Wheaties |
| • |
Charlie McCarthy |
| • |
Tarzan |
| • |
Jukeboxes |
| • |
Blondie |
| • |
The Lone Ranger |
If older members of the Veterans seem tight with a dollar and
somehow risk averse, it is the legacy of the days when a handful
of change was all that stood between a family and an empty cupboard,
and not even the banks were trustworthy. When President Roosevelt
instituted the New Deal it established the Farm Credit Act, the
Civilian Conservation Corps(known as the CCC camps), the Tennessee
Valley Authority, and 13 other major bill for creating a modern
national infrastructure and preventing another stock market crash.
It was the beginning of the golden era of radio. Nearly every
family had a set. They listened to "The Shadow", "The
Lone Ranger", and "Amos and Andy." It was the big-band
sound of Goodman, Ellington, and Miller. Kids escaped to comic
books and their greatest hero was Superman.
It was also in the late 1930's that Americans watched in horror
as European parliaments gave way to the tyranny of social democracy
and totalitarianism. By 1940 the only country that was not in
Hitler's grasp was England. Out of Britain's trouble emerged a
new prime minister, Winston Churchill. He promised, "I have
nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."
That generation crystallized around a "defining moment"
at 7:49 a.m. Sunday, December 7, 1941 when 183 Japanese dive bombers
attacked Pearl Harbor. President declared it would be "a
date which will live in infamy". War produce heroes from
among the Veterans: George Patton, Audie Murphy, Mark Clarke,
and George Marshall. Some said the initials GI stood for "galvanized
iron", metal heated to unbearably high temperatures and molded
into something strong and durable. They wore more uniforms than
any other from their Boy Scout greens, to the CCC uniforms, to
the fatigues and dress blues and whites of WWII. The war effort
at home involved doing without, and this generation of women did
it good-naturedly. They lived on rations, they used it up, wore
it out, made it do, or did without," conserving coffee, sugar,
rubber, nylon, and gasoline.
Finally in 1945 peace had been earned. Veterans had earned high
rank and set a tone of accomplishment that they would pursue with
the vigor of a war effort for the next 50 years.
THE VETERANS
| Heroes |
| • |
Superman |
| • |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| • |
MacArthur, Patton, Montgomery, Halsey, and Eisenhower |
| • |
Winston Churchill |
| • |
Audie Murphy |
| • |
Joe Foss |
| • |
Babe Ruth |
| • |
Joe DiMaggio |
The Veterans formed their view of the world in the shadow of
hard times and the bright light of America's triumph over them.
They took up the challenge to rebuild the nation, the economy,
and even war-torn Europe, to build a foundation that would allow
future generations to live out the American Dream worldwide.
Veterans like consistence and uniformity
In 1934, nylon was developed
In 1935 the acrylics Lucite and Plexiglas came on the market
In 1937, polyurethane and polystyrene promised to revolutionize
equipment
Veterans like things on a grand scale
The new technologies allowed Americans to be more mobile
Veterans are conformers
They learned from their Boy Scout leaders, President Roosevelt,
and their drill sergeants to stay in line, be "a regular
guy" and "do the right thing".
Veterans
believe in logic, not magic
Veterans are disciplined
Veterans are past oriented and history
absorbed
Veterans have always believed in law
and order
They are more likely than any other generation to favor stricter
laws and longer jail terms. When veterans went to school they
lost points for the wrong answer. The teacher wasn't interested
in how they solved the problem, just as long as they got the right
answer. They learned that divorce is wrong. When the marriage
was struggling, they hung in there. If life wasn't fun, "those
were the breaks".
Veterans spending style is conservative
They have always saved and paid cash. Veterans buy American.
For nearly 60 years they were the only generation to support
the winner of every election. Although WW II was the great event
of the leading edge of this generation's youth, its emotional
impact and circumstance and its value-shaping power are largely
lost on later generations.
The Boomer Generation understand it intellectually.
The Gen Xers know it as an historical data point and a textbook,
multi-choice, pop-quiz answer.
The Nexters know it from movies such as "The Thin Red Line."
THE VETERANS
| On The Job |
| Assets |
| • |
Stable |
| • |
Detail Oriented |
| • |
Through |
| • |
Loyal |
| • |
Hard Working |
| |
| Liabilities |
| • |
Awkward with uncertainty and change |
| • |
Reluctant to buck the system |
| • |
Uncomfortable with conflict |
| • |
Reserved when they disagree |
The Veterans Work Ethic
Many Vets' parents lost their jobs during the Great Depression,
and the whole family experienced hardships. As a result, members
of this cohort don't take a job for granted; instead, they're
grateful for it.
Veterans have loooooooooooooooong memories.
THE VETERANS
What the Other Generations Say About Them
| Baby Boomers say……….. |
| • |
They are dictatorial |
| • |
They are rigid |
| • |
They are inhibited |
| • |
They are technological dinosaurs |
| • |
They are narrow |
| |
| Gen Xers say……………. |
| • |
They are trustworthy |
| • |
They are good leaders |
| • |
They are brave |
So today we salute the Veterans of the Greatest Generation!
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU
HAVE GIVEN AND SACRIFICED…….
You are worthy of honor.
Information taken from "Generations At Work" Ron Zemke:
Claire Raines: Bob Filipczak
