Piece Comment

Review of The Silent Generation: From Saipan to Tokyo


The "Silent Generation" is an apt name for many of those who fought in World War II. I listened to this program over and over as it brought back memories of my father who fought in the Pacific and died this year. The program resonated with the very spirit of those who fought with total dedication to their country in the war that made a difference. For years, I would wake at night to hear my father sitting in the kitchen unable to sleep. Before I heard of post-traumatic stress, I could never understand why he sat for hours reading the newspaper at 2 am and still got up the next day to go to work to support his family. Once, going through boxes in the basement, I found a machete and other momentos of his service on an aircraft carrier twice attacked by kamikazes and as part of the occupying force in Tokyo at the end of war. Though I brought these to his attention, he never spoke about his experiences until only a few years before his death. Again, like the men in this program, he wanted to focus on the "positive." I only hope that this program remains in circulation for a long time so we can remember the strength of these courageous men.