Our turn to step up

Tom Brokaw labeled a special group of Americans as “The Greatest Generation.”

What made them so special? They suffered extreme losses and limitations during the Great Depression, followed by the additional gut-wrenching sacrifices of World War II. As men were drafted into combat (no cellphones), those anxiously waiting at home endured rationing. Stamps were required for allowed amounts of items, such as sugar, coffee, meat, shoes, paper, fuel oil, tires, gas and autos. Grown-ups and kids pitched in with paper drives, collecting cans, tires, and other recyclables, even string!

With many men in the military, families already struggling financially often doubled up. Multigenerational households shared accommodations, possessions and expenses as well as responsibilities, companionship and comfort. These “wars” of the 1930s and 1940s prompted the sacrifices, mutuality, and resilience of the generation we have come to respect as “The Greatest Generation.”

We are again at “war.” This time, it’s with a virus - an enemy we can’t see or hear, yet it strikes, maims and kills the vulnerable, the unwary and the innocent. When not stopped, it can change like a chameleon, doing even more damage. No guns, tanks, or planes can kill this enemy. Beating this enemy requires denying it the hosts where it multiplies and mutates. The UNvaccinated have become such hosts for this destructive virus.

COVID and its variants have already killed over 610,000 Americans! This number exceeds total deaths from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam combined! Please help with THIS “war.” Get vaccinated! This is the “sacrifice” required of OUR generation. Consider how OUR generation will be labelled!

Holly Ann O’Connell

Colville