A national commitment to teach history in an accurate and interesting way would be that harder right.

Pending this, and a companion commitment to study and to learn, we have among us the primary source for much of our national experience of any significance: our veterans.

The year 2000 was the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War. The Air Force, all of the Military Services, and the nation properly focused on recognizing the milestone events attendant with the next three years, the length of that war.

The year 2001 begins the 60th Anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War II. December 7, 2001 is the 60th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and the Japanese attacks on U. S., British, and other targets throughout the Pacific. September 2, 2005 is the 60th Anniversary of the day the surrender document with Japan was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Consider the major events of World War II which will permit recognition of many 60th Anniversaries during this period. Consider the fact that this period will be the last opportunity to recognize the still-living veterans of these events and campaigns on a “Decade Anniversary” occasion. Our reality is that they are leaving us at an accelerating rate; soon, to become to you like that Spanish War Veteran is to me: a missed opportunity to get to know, to learn from, and, to benefit from his experiences.

Permit one brief example to illustrate both our history and lessons learned from those who lived that history. The occasion: A reunion of the Doolittle Raiders in Omaha in 1976. Reminder, this was thirty-four years after the April 18, 1942 strike on Japan. Led by then Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, sixteen (16) B-25 twin-engine medium bombers of the Army Air Force took of from the deck of the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier in a task force under the command of Admiral William F. (“Bull”) Halsey. Just over four months after Pearl Harbor, this was the first attack on the Japanese home islands; one of the few positive actions of the Pacific War to that time. For those who desire an insight into this raid, and into subsequent air operations in North Africa and Europe, read General Doolittle’s autobiography, I Could Never Be This Lucky Again.

This Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders permitted my wife Ruth and me to meet George Gay: a Texas A&M graduate; a retired airline captain; a retired Captain, USN; and, as Ensign George Gay, the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 at the Battle of Midway during June 3-6, 1942. He had just completed service as a technical advisor of the movie Midway. He had been made an honorary member of the Doolittle Raiders. I remember two of his comments vividly.

First, historical research related to the movie had prompted a reassessment of the Doolittle Raid. Dropping bombs on Japan did physical damage; however, the primary change was to the Japanese presumption of invincibility to attack. Hence, when preparing for the Battle of Midway, just seven weeks after the Doolittle Raid, the Japanese held back part of their fleet for home defense. Had they not done so, it is entirely possible that the Japanese would not have experienced their first major defeat of World War II; thereby, adversely impacting and/or changing the outcome of the entire war in the Pacific.

Second, from his vantage point of a life-long career in aviation, he stated that there are two kinds of aircraft: obsolete; and, experimental. Permit me to use this as an opportunity to reflect that I first flew the B-52 in 1972; more than seventeen years after the first SAC Wing became operational with this aircraft in June of 1955. I am also reminded that my favorite Wing Commander was in the first grade when the last B-52H came off of the production line in 1962. From my vantage point, as a veteran, I salute the men and women on active duty today for their outstanding professionalism and commitment to excellence. Without them, this major component of our Nation’s bomber force would not sustain operational and in-commission rates which would have been the envy of those on active duty when I retired in 1979. Fact: there is no experimental bomber on the horizon.

Now, to my second main point: We do not take advantage of the “primary source” of the events of World War II; the veterans of that War. They are among us: our family members, our friends, our neighbors.

To set the stage, I respect the initiatives of Tom Brokaw and Tom Hanks as spokesmen for veterans of, their words, “The Greatest Generation.” Television programs featuring both men have reinforced factors we should consider: these veterans do not think of themselves as “heroes”; most prefer not to use this term except as it pertains to their friends who did not return; many have been reluctant to speak, even to family members, about their experiences; and, many are dying each day.

Our challenges: How to avoid the middle-man spokesmen, as competent and committed as these two Toms are, to communicate with World War II veterans? How to learn from the primary sources among us?