It’s been almost 40 years since I read “The Good War,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning history as told by more than 120 participants in World War II. They remembered the fighting, the injuries and deaths, the personal sacrifices at home and even the moments of hope and kindness.
They told the author, Chicago journalist Studs Terkel, of their lives and what the war did to them and what it meant to them.
Though I was born after the war (1951), I’ve often thought about how strongly America came together to fight its enemies. Many volunteered for military service, others bought war bonds to help pay the bills, people lived with ration coupons for fuel, tires, sugar, shoes, butter, canned foods and more.
Auto factories turned into airplane factories.
Shipyards and their workers figured out how to build the 440-foot-long Liberty ship for troop and supply transport in about two weeks. Eighteen U.S. shipyards built more than 2,700 of the ships — faster than our enemies could sink them.
The U.S. military built the 1,600-mile Alaska Highway from northern British Columbia to near Fairbanks in eight months.
It seems most everyone did what they could to help win the war, no matter the challenges and personal hardship. And no matter their politics.
In a way, I’ve always thought I wanted to live through those years to see how the country was united. It must have been scary, but it must have been inspiring to know so many were working together.
Though I read exclusively history and other non-fiction books, I’ll admit I’m no history professor. But it looks to me that the country is no longer capable of pulling together like it did 80 years ago to help save the world from the Nazis and others who believed in only their view of who should live and who shouldn’t.
The anger and divisiveness, the distrust and conspiracy addiction spreading online faster than the COVID-19 virus, the irresponsible accusations and lies cast about by Donald Trump and those who profit financially and politically from his popularity — it all worries me. It should worry everyone.
Can the United States and its 332 million residents, along with its estimated half-million elected federal, state and local officials ever pull together again? Could anything unite the country? Is there any issue out there that Democrats and Republicans can agree on, other than accusing each other of destroying the country and turning to social media to raise more money for more campaigns?
I’m not an idealist — far from it. I am cynical and sarcastic and pessimistic. But as I look back on life and look ahead to the lives of young people, I regret that they are not inheriting a world in better shape, and certainly they’re not getting a country united in much of anything, except online shopping and complaining.
It shouldn’t take a deadly world war to make Americans realize that fighting among ourselves is the worst answer to a crisis, whether a public health pandemic or climate change. We are not making public schools or libraries or elections better by threatening teachers, librarians and election officials over books, curriculum and voting machines.
We are not improving the environment and protecting our communities by ridiculing each other.
A war among ourselves weakens the nation, and there is nothing good about that.
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