Literary Analysis: The Greatest Generation "They came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America; men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage made our nation the greatest on earth." This quote is fittingly descriptive of the achievements and importance the post World War II generation had on us. In Tom Brokaw's Book, The Greatest Generation, Brokaw describes in a very personal and detailed way, the lives of a handful of World War II veterans, some famous and others unknown, but all had a great impact on the world as we know it. Brokaw is trying to illustrate to us how these men delivered under enormous and constant pressure, and he does so effectively throughout this book.Throughout the book, Brokaw brings up the characteristics of courage. All the veterans that Brokaw speaks about all have these characteristics and exemplify them through their service with the military. An example of this is the story of Dr. Charles Van Gorder. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Van Gorder set up an operation room in the storage room of a French chateau, and he operated for 36 hours straight while bullets zoomed by. He worked under constant fire to help save lives and through his courage, many Americans were able to go home and see their families after the war. Another example of courage is the story of Joe Foss, A Marine Pilot who single-handedly shot down 26 enemy planes during his time and once had to swim for twelve hours in order to be rescued by American Forces. He was back in the air a few days later. Many of his friends used to say that he had "all the balls of any man who walked the earth." The courage he showed after going through such an ordeal like the one he went through exemplifies the type of individual that makes up the "greatest generation". Courage was a virtue that was found in most if not all of the men who fought for our country in Vietnam.This ...
