The sacrifices of the Greatest Generation

Dec. 7 was the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack united a country that had previously been divided over whether the U.S. should enter the war. All Americans were asked to make sacrifices from inconveniences such as rationing items like gasoline and butter to the 16 million who served in the Armed Forces to the over 400,000 that gave their lives.

The entire New Haven Naval Reserve was called to active duty in May of 1941 and were in the middle of Pearl Harbor on the USS Solace when the attack occurred. They performed heroic rescues that day and then spent the rest of the war in the South Pacific in war zones continuing their heroic acts. When the war ended, they returned to New Haven over four years after they left and asked for nothing. The next time you drive over the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge take a moment to think about those from the New Haven area that were there on December 7, 1941.

In March of 2020, we were attacked by a virus and instead of uniting against the enemy our country is divided. We know that getting vaccinated and the inconvenience of wearing masks is what is needed to protect others and defeat the virus but some who claim they care about our country refuse. In less than two years, COVID has killed twice as many Americans than died in almost four years of World War II.

Americans that lived thru WWII are called our Greatest Generation because of the sacrifices they made. How will our generation be remembered?

John O’Connor Branford