With the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, ignorance is, well, not bliss.
My niece’s boyfriend and I were borrowing tables from my church for my niece’s graduation party. While carrying tables outside past grave markers to a truck, I mentioned to him that the church’s graveyard had veterans from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and many from World War II.
In the course of the conversation, it became painfully obvious that my niece’s boyfriend could not place these three events in chronological order. He did not know which war occurred first, second or third, much less why each war was fought.
Can anyone imagine being an adult and not knowing this? What about “heavier” subjects like the Constitution or the Federalist Papers, taxes, the concept of representative government and individual responsibility? Yes, this guy can legally vote, but should he? Absent of cognitive facts and historical references, what would he base his voting decisions on? Emotions?
My uncle manned the top machine gun turret on a B-17 in World War II. He was one of the fortunate ones, as two of every three B-17 crews did not make it to complete their assigned 25 missions.
Ignorance of history is a disservice to all who have served. Surely we can do better. Here is to you, Uncle Joe…..
My niece’s boyfriend and I were borrowing tables from my church for my niece’s graduation party. While carrying tables outside past grave markers to a truck, I mentioned to him that the church’s graveyard had veterans from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and many from World War II.
In the course of the conversation, it became painfully obvious that my niece’s boyfriend could not place these three events in chronological order. He did not know which war occurred first, second or third, much less why each war was fought.
Can anyone imagine being an adult and not knowing this? What about “heavier” subjects like the Constitution or the Federalist Papers, taxes, the concept of representative government and individual responsibility? Yes, this guy can legally vote, but should he? Absent of cognitive facts and historical references, what would he base his voting decisions on? Emotions?
My uncle manned the top machine gun turret on a B-17 in World War II. He was one of the fortunate ones, as two of every three B-17 crews did not make it to complete their assigned 25 missions.
Ignorance of history is a disservice to all who have served. Surely we can do better. Here is to you, Uncle Joe…..
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