Honoring our greatest generation

Today, June 6, is the 60th anniversary of the Allies' massive D-Day invasion of Europe that marked the beginning of the end of a violent world war that killed more than a half-million young Americans.

That's why last weekend's dedication of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., meant so much to those of us who remember the great war that saved the world from Nazi fascism in Europe and Japanese imperialism in the Pacific.

When the Japanese ignited World War II with their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, I was a kid growing up in Seattle about two miles from the main Boeing plant that produced the B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber, the workhorse of our fledgling air force.

My late father, who was ineligible for the draft because of punctured eardrums, volunteered to become the neighborhood air raid warden. That's when my friend Dave and I decided to hide out in packing crates in the alley behind our house during air raid drills in order to watch for enemy planes and "help" the unsuspecting warden.

Seattle was an obvious target early in the war and we had frequent blackouts in anticipation of imminent attacks that never materialized. Meanwhile, the nearby Boeing plant was quickly and cleverly camouflaged to resemble a peaceful neighborhood, like ours. In school, we drew pictures of dogfights between Japanese and American fighters while our parents learned to live with rationing for necessities like gasoline and meat. Everyone sacrificed for the war effort, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked us to do.

Now, fast-forward 60 years to Memorial Day 2004. Although our country is at war against international terrorism, Americans are deeply divided about U.S. policy in Iraq, and partisan politicians are at each others' throats during an election year. Sixty years ago, there was a strong sense of national unity and our enemies were easily identified. How times have changed!

All of that came back to me last weekend as I watched the solemn World War II Memorial ceremony from Washington; however, we're so blasé' about war these days that we jump in our gas-guzzling SUVs and head for the beach or the mountains to "celebrate" Memorial Day. Last Sunday, the Reno GazetteÐJournal covered the dedication ceremony in a two-column item at the bottom of page one below stories about a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, Nevada state politics and a two-page spread on former Northern Nevada brothel owner Joe Conforte's "golden exile" in Brazil.

In other words, RG-J editors decided that the moving World War II Memorial ceremony was only the fourth most important story of the day. But I think national and local media should have paid more attention to the brave men and women who won the war - the people NBC-TV anchor Tom Brokaw has properly dubbed "The Greatest Generation."

Last week, Time magazine noted the 60th anniversary of D-Day by paying tribute to the 150,000 American GIs who stormed the bloody beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, nearly 10,000 of whom died in that violent assault. "Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach was a hero," wrote Gen. Omar Bradley, and by August the Allies were cheered as they advanced through the French countryside enroute to the liberation of Paris.

Contrast that triumphant scene with what we see in Iraq today. "If the memory of D-Day and all that followed have provided 60 years of inspiration, they also set a trap," Time observed. "Anticipating the scene in Baghdad once the GIs rolled in was so easy; we remember Paris. Presuming gratitude for our generosity and sacrifice was only natural...." But remember that our victory in World War II was the result of careful planning, artful diplomacy and the preparation of public opinion for what lay ahead. It's too bad we can't say the same about Iraq.

My friend and neighbor, Ray Ernst, is a proud member of the Greatest Generation but like many of his peers, he believes the U.S. should be cautious about going to war. A 19-year-old kid from the South Side of Chicago, Ray signed-up for aviation cadet training shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

"We grew up overnight," Ray told me the other day. "Our territories were under attack." He and five friends enlisted together and after 18 months of flight training, 2nd Lt. Ernst found himself in command of a B-24 "Liberator" with a crew of nine. He hadn't yet turned 21 and the oldest member of his crew was a 27-year-old New Yorker known as "Dad."

Based in southern Italy, Ray and his crew flew 34 bombing missions before their plane was shot down over Yugoslavia. With the aid of so-called "partisans," he worked his way back to Italy and wound up in a military hospital. "I was really motivated going in but was totally worn out after 10 missions," Ray recalls, adding that it was tougher for the "ground pounders" (infantry), who didn't always sleep in tents.

About one-third of his buddies survived the war and returned to the States as heroes to join the 52-20 Club - 52 weeks at $20 per week to readjust to civilian life and look for work. After taking advantage of the GI Bill to earn an engineering degree, Ray spent more than 30 years as a test pilot and engineering manager in the aerospace industry, except for a two-year period (1950-52) when he was called back into the military as a fighter pilot in Korea, where he flew 78 combat missions.

Like most of his contemporaries, Ray Ernst recites his inspiring story in a matter-of-fact way without false pride. "As impressive as our World War II victory was," he concludes, "it was a giant failure because we're still at war. The young men still go to war while the old men lose the peace." Well said, Ray, and thanks for showing us the way.

Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who completed postgraduate studies at the Naval War College in Newport. R.I.