Hey guys,
Yesterday the last American veteran of World War I was laid to rest. Frank Buckles was born in 1901 in Missouri . In order to enlist in the Army in 1917, Frank, then just sixteen years old, lied about his age. His main job during the war was transporting German prisoners.
Buckles also served in World War II… captured by the Japanese in 1942, he spent over three years in prison camp where he became emaciated, dropping to under 100lbs before being liberated in 1945.
What has changed so much about the makeup of Americans from the time Buckles was sixteen to today? I think you would be hard pressed to find a sixteen year old so eager to defend his country. Why were the Americans of yesteryear so proud and motivated, and today’s youth seem to be known only for their apathy? What has changed? And are you, as the group known primarily for your apathy tired of being labeled as lazy and unmotivated? If so, how do you change that perception? How do you prove you do care… about something?
Or… perhaps how adults view today’s youth is just the latest example of the cycle which repeats as each generation ages… the older people think the younger people are lazy, wild, unmotivated slugs… and one day when your generation is looking to that future group of teenagers you will express similar thoughts and feelings? I don’t know…
At any rate, Buckles died at the age of 110; he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington.
Take a moment and think about the events Buckles life witnesses… he was born at a time when horses were the primary mode of travel, and died when private space travel is becoming a reality.
What do you think?
I believe that tons has changed from Buckles being sixteen to sixteen year olds today. Its true that there is no way that anyone who is 16 would be eager to enlist in the military so young. I think people used to be proud and motivated because of the way they were brought up. Back then everyone was brought up with very specific morals and a good understand of what was right and wrong. Today many kids have lost those morals. We also have televison and MTV and role models who arent really that great of people. We strive to act like people who dont do the right things. Back then when your parents raised you to be a certian way you were, today that rarely happens. i think the only way you can truley prove that you care about something is to do things for the community or just for people other than ourselves. We as the lazy slugs we are need to prove to the older generations that we do care more about other people and we dont make everything strictly about ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAs for Buckles I think that it is awesome that he was fortunate enough to live such a long life filled with many different historical events. I feel as though i would have enjoyed talking to Buckles about everything he has lived through. I also wonder how he felt about living for such along time, if he were sick of it, or if he were glad to have witnessed so many events.
I think it is truly amazing that Buckles lived to be 110 years old. Not many people are able to do that. That is truly an amazing accomplishment. It is crazy to think about all the things he experienced during his lifetime. Society and daily life has changed so much from the time that he was born in 1901 until now in 2011. There have been so many extreme advances in technology, and he was alive to witness that all first hand. I think it would be amazing to hear his opinions about the changes in technology and daily life. He was able to see how technology changed people's daily lives, and changed people themselves. That to me is just incredible.
ReplyDeleteAs for teenagers today, I do not know exactly what my opinion is. I think that our generation is lazy and not motivated to do much of anything, but I also wonder if that is true of teenagers of any generation, and as they get older, their outlook on life changes also. I have not been alive long enough to know what other generations of teenagers have been like to judge. But what I do know is that people in general today do not have the same strict morals that they did when Buckles was growing up. People's morals have changed a lot, and I think a lot of them have disappeared in general. I think it is sad that people do not care about things and it especially bothers me when people are straight out rude. I think it is important for people to have morals and to follow them and to just work hard for what they want and not have things handed to them. I think people in general are lazy and just expect that other people are going to do everything for them. I think it is not just my generation that is lazy, but I think people in general today are lazy.
I really like today's topic and Buckle's story in general. He was alive to witness all the changes the world has gone through and made history because of his bravery and unselfish behavior. That is what I find so interesting about the older generations. They put their lives on hold and did what they believed was right.
ReplyDeleteThis is what has changed over the generations. The sense of putting others before yourself and the overall way we are raised. Then you grew up on love for your nation, family, and religion. Now everything in society has changed. We have become lazy but it is not just the teenagers its everyone. Also there is no longer a strong sense of responsibility. As teenagers we do not have alot of responsibilities when compared to past generations. Everything is handed to us and we don't have to work for alot of things. We could the perception of the older generations by helping other people and thinking of other people. Also respect, I feel like our generation has lost respect and we no longer no what morals are... or rather what ours are and we stand.
I understand not everyone has lost this but I really wish America could get that sense of pride and respect we once had back.
I have to say that I truly envy Buckles. He witnessed, and was alive for, so many events that I have studied, researched, and even written a few papers based around. He saw World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and this current conflict we are enveloped in, and I find this unbelievable. He beared witness to, and, in some cases, took part in, six major conflicts that have occurred in the past century. Some soldiers have died fighting in one. This is not even counting the small battles and interventions in places such as Kosovo. Buckles fought in World War I, and lived to see these future wars and conflicts unfold. This, I believe, cannot go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteAs for why younger people are not enlisting is because the media has shown war to be a horrifying affair. In Buckles's era, there were no MSNBC or CNBC to show American citizens the devastation that was occurring in other countries. Today, this absolutely mortifies audiences who view these programs. Every troop that is killed is reported, and only further drives the idea of dying in battle into a person's head.
In the early-to-mid 20th century, propaganda was a massive factor in the enlisting of young soldiers. Through posters and radio, there would be constant, biased news fed to the masses, encouraging them to join the war efforts. An example of this is the fact that during World War II, Germany employed a man, Joseph Goebbels, to dole out propaganda on a daily basis. Today, this propaganda would not be as effective; this even began to fail in the 1960s. When people begin seeing what is actually occurring in war, they can become more opposed to the situation. Essentially, teenagers don't want to join because they are lazy or uninterested, but, I believe, because they are frightened.
-Jake M.
Frank Buckles is an American hero. I hope to have half the courage he does. It's a great thing to hear about someone so dedicated to their country. He risked his life at such a young age to help his country in a brutal war. Although sixteen-year-olds can't enlist, I know many people my age who plan on it after high school. I think that today's youth are just envied to be honest.
ReplyDeleteIn the time that we're growing up in, everything is so easy. We have any answer we want a few clicks away and can carry a computer in our pockets. We all hear stories from our elders telling us how hard things were and how we're lazy, when really, we were just born in the right place at the right time. Of course, they do have some points. I know many irresponsible people to say the least and they do fit the stereotypes of our generation.
Even though there are some trouble makers, I believe that a strong majority are just misunderstood. Every generation has its ups and downs. Then again, I'm only sixteen. I'll probably change my mind in a few years.
-Brandon
It is amazing to sit and think about all of the historic events that Buckles was able to see and participate in throughout the course of his life. With all the wars that took place in his lifetime, I'm sure it wasn't an easy life but instead, a fulfilling one.
ReplyDeleteI believe that sixteen year olds today are extremely different than sixteen year olds back in the early 1900's primarily because of the way we were brought up. Life now is entirely different than it used to be, for both the younger and older generations. We have the luxary of having (as Brandon said) computers in our pockets and information at our fingertips. Sixteen year olds today don't live for going to war. In most cases they don't care about the honor it brings but rather the life they could lose. We haven't grown up thinking that men had to prove themselves or that men had to go to war.
I can't believe that he lived to be 110 years old. It is truly amazing all of the different events that Frank got to be apart of and see throughout his life. Enrolling into the Army at only sixteen by lying is something that you would never see today. Sixteen year old boys do not care as strongly about their country as boys did back in the early 1900's. The thing most teenagers worry about today is who is on facebook and if their favorite sports team won their game the night before. We all have so much more technology and no teenager that I know would give up everything they have to go fight for their country knowing that they might now make it out of war alive. I feel that young Americans are not as proud to be Americans now as they were years earlier. We might see all of the bad that comes with our country and all of the fighting but we should be proud because other children in different countries will never get the experiences that we have today in life. We live in the best country in the world and I feel that everyone takes what we have for granted. Americans need to go back to what they were like in the early 1900's and be proud of where we came from and that we live in the best country in the world.
ReplyDeleteMost of the teenagers from our generation are to into technology and having as many of the new gadgets as possible. We are proud of the country we live in but don't alwats express it, show it, or even think of what it would be like to live ini any other country but our own. We take for granted what we have and it isn't alsways a good thing. I know very few peopole that have fought in a war not to mention people that want to go and fight for their country. It is sad how technology can change how much we are commited to our own country.
ReplyDeleteI think technology and just having the latest things has taken over our generation. I have met a lot of teenagers that only care about who liked their status of Facebook, or what new phone is out and who has what car. I personally think it is ridiculous. It seems like no one cares about anything or anyone but themselve. I also think that because teenager now haven't experienced our nation's downfall, like WW1 or WW2,they have no idea what it is like to live through hard times so they just dont care. I think to change that the society or their surroundings have to change. If the society stops caring about the latest trend or the newest technology teenager will have other things to worry about and might even realize how great their country is and feel motivated to defend their country.
ReplyDeleteI think its amazing how Buckles lived so long to experience two completely different lifestyles. Im really curious as to what Buckles thinks about people or teenagers in this generation compare to his generation. I think he's lucky in a way to be able to live so long and experience soo many things in his life, even though his war life was very difficult and harsh.
-Saman
This guy is a beast, end of story, how do someone live to be that old though? He must have been like, amazingly healthy.
ReplyDeleteI think that this generation is very different from 70 years ago. I think the technology has a very big impact on this. I think that this is pretty amazing after everything he went through.
ReplyDeleteThat seriously is crazy that he lived that long knowing what he has gone through. As for what has changed, i think teenagers today have become so selfish and only think about themseleves. Im not saying everyone is like that but compared to teenagers back then, they aren't as up for doing stuff such as doing dishes, not to mention going in to war. I don't think it's right for people to look at teenagers as all the same. Everyone is an individual therefore they all think and act differently.
ReplyDeleteI agree with chris this dude had to be very healthy! also he must have been amazed at how far that technology has come.
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