Patriotism and
Life
I was born in
the 1930’s, before the Second World War.
My patriotism and love of my country developed during that war and other
events as I grew to adulthood. I also
grew politically aware during this time, and although my mother, who was born
in Poland, was an inveterate Roosevelt democrat who had lived in Chicago as a
young woman, and I understood that FDR was our “fearless leader” during the war
years, I questioned his “new deal” and some of his domestic policies. I sort of liked old Harry, but not particularly
his politics. By the time Eisenhower was
elected president in 1952, I was pretty much libertarian and/or conservative republican
in my views.
With
considerably expanded knowledge of politics and how the world works, I really
have not changed my views substantially over the last 70-odd years. Oh, I have tweaked different aspects of my
political belief system at various times, such as on abortion and its nuances,
and on other issues from time to time.
However, I still consider myself conservative with libertarian leanings.
Having said all
that, it appalls me to see where this country has gone in terms of its ethical
and moral degradation.
Now, I realize
that I am considered a dinosaur. My
parents and adults around me had 6th to 8th grade
educations and worked long
hours in factories or agricultural or other menial jobs. Cars they drove were what they
euphemistically called “terreppas” (after the Polish). Radio and silver screen movies were about the
only entertainment, and you cranked a big box on
the wall to reach an operator for an outside telephone line. Life was mostly simple and devout, and
oriented around family, friends, work and church.
At 12 years old,
I was doing odd jobs around yards and farms to make a little money. By 14, I had a part-time job driving a
Farmall M tractor harrowing a potato field.
By 16, I had a full-time shift at a cotton mill, while attending the
honors program at a high school scientific course, also full time.
I worked and
earned my way to a degree in Chemical Engineering, getting out of college with
no student debt. Hardly possible now,
but it was possible back then, with scholarships, a lot of dedication, hard
work and some negative impact on grade point average. My engineering class was about half returning
Korean War veterans, and half younger types.
Guess whom I identified and grew closer to and drank with?
And by the way,
all calculations then were done manually, with use of a slide rule. I saw my first (mechanical) calculator in New
York in 1960, and bought my first “red eyed monster” pocket calculator in the
early 1970’s.
During the
Second World War, and Korea, and Vietnam to some extent. The military handed an
eighteen year old a bolt action Springfield rifle (or later an M1), and some
grenades, trained him for six or eight weeks, and sent him to the other side of
the world to fight “the enemy”. That’s
so we didn’t have to fight “the enemy” here in our country. Some survived. Some did not. American KIA’s in WW2 were 405k; Korea, 35k;
Vietnam, 58k; War on Terror, 7k.
So, twenty year
olds back then were veterans of foreign wars.
Now we have 30 year-old plus millennials still living at home and
clamoring for “free stuff”. Like college tuition loan forgiveness in exchange
for the democrat vote.
In my own case,
thankfully, I never had to fight in an active war. I was commissioned an officer in the U.S.
Army Signal Corps and served a short spell on active duty after Korea, and
before Vietnam. I did some reserve
obligation in the New York City area before working actively overseas for an
international company that supplied large quantities of petroleum products to
the U.S. military. I got my DD-214 and
Honorable Discharge without firing a shot other than in training.
I started living
life early, and I write this not to beat my own drum, but to illustrate how
times have changed. Now, terms like
“dinosaurs” and “toxic masculinity” are derogatory terms used to describe those
out of touch with mainstream society, which is ostensibly kinder and
gentler. Need society be reminded that
they would not be here without these predecessors? Or speaking German or
Japanese or Chinese.
Those
“dinosaurs” formed this country, fought its wars, died for it. They maintained and nourished it against all
enemies, foreign and domestic. Now, in
Biden’s and Obama’s time, the country is disintegrating into an ideologically
extreme left-wing society, that refutes all of the positive history that made it.
I am in process
of reading “The Coddling of the American Mind”, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan
Haidt, a liberal lawyer and social psychologist. They explore our current society, and its
escape to “safetyism”, cancel culture and identity politics. The book provides
a pertinent contrast of our increasingly socialist life to bygone days under
the influence of “toxic masculinity” and the “dinosaurs”. This book points me back to original thinkers
Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker.
Ray Gruszecki
March 30, 2024
