Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Honoring the Generation that inspired THE SANCTITY OF LOVE AND WAR



    THE SANCTITY OF LOVE AND WAR is set during one of the most tumultuous times in our nation's (and the world's) history.  Almost 70 years have passed since the end of World War II, but the legacy of that generation is one that I think is important for present and future generations to revere.  It's no secret that my respect for the generation of WWII was one of the main reasons why I chose that time period for my novel.  There are valuable lessons to be learned from that time, and ongoing respect to be paid to those who lived through it. 
     Recently, my nieces and nephew joined me in delivering cookies to the veterans of WWII who reside at the Gino Merli Center in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  I felt this would provide a positive lesson for the younger set of this present generation so they might understand the gift that the WWII generation has given to them through their sacrifices.  My nephew in particular was interested in speaking with the veterans.  We spoke at length to a gentleman who was present and who vividly recalled the events of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  He told my nephew his memory of playing sports with his friends when the surprise attack began.  It was wonderful to see the interest in my nephew's eyes as this elderly man held his attention through his compelling storytelling.  My nephew was in awe to be speaking to a living war hero, someone who went on to fight in the war and come through to live and tell the tale.  What was perhaps the most compelling part of the story was the fact that there was no bravado or ego involved in its telling -- something quite typical of the generation who lived that war.
     I'm a firm believer that history shouldn't and need not merely be words written on some dusty pages.  It should be a living, breathing reminder of what has happened in the past.  Our history teachers have a challenge to invite interest on the part of their young students; to seek out the living remnants of the past; to inform in such a way as to ignite passionate curiosity in the young minds of the present generation.  This isn't an easy challenge, but it's one I think we owe to those who sacrificed what they did so that we might be free to have open discussions about our past.  It's a challenge, but it is possible.  All one needs to do to understand this possibility is to imagine the face of a young boy who reverently listened as an old man spoke of the past.   This elderly man, a living history in and of himself, held a young boy's interest in his hands as he relived for him an infamous day in history over 70 years ago.