A Tribute to My Father and the Greatest Generation

By Dr. Lynn Webster, PNN Columnist

When I was a little boy, we planted roses, geraniums, chrysanthemums and tulips at the graveside of my grandparents every Memorial Day.

In the beginning, we only had my maternal grandfather’s and paternal grandmother’s graves to decorate. Since they were about 100 miles apart, decorating their graves was a full-day event. It was a ritual that most of the immediate family participated in. Over the years, the number of graves grew and the number of decorators dwindled. 

People have used flowers to decorate graves for thousands of years. It is not clear when or why the practice first started. For my family, adorning graves with flowers was a way to remember and honor the people we loved and missed.

This past Memorial Day weekend, we visited and decorated their graves yet again, just as millions of Americans do to recognize the men and women who have served our country in the military. 

My father, Raymond L. Webster, risked his life serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He is one of those people we recognize on Memorial Day -- and, hopefully, every day -- for his heroism as a Marine, father and grandfather.

RAYMOND L. WEBSTER

We frequently hear that members of the military sacrifice their lives for their country, but that is not the primary reason my father risked his life.

My father was part of what has become known as the “Greatest Generation.” Of course, he was a proud American, but he often said he was willing to give his life for his buddies. He fought for his "brothers," just as the soldiers depicted in the 2001 film, "Band of Brothers." Patriotism was a background element.

My dad did not always know the reasons for his military missions. He spent his time in the Pacific Theater of Operations as part of the military police, serving in the Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, Guam and Marianas Islands campaigns.

At War with a Pandemic

I'm proud of my dad's commitment to his fellow warriors and the country. He's part of the great American history we must always remember.

Today, we battle a new enemy that is no less difficult than prior foes. We ultimately may win the war against the coronavirus, but we are not meeting each battle with the same resolve that members of the Greatest Generation did. Lack of a national plan and widespread disregard of our scientists’ recommendations suggest we are not meeting this threat the same way we arose to the occasion in previous wars.

Maybe it is because we don’t have the same willingness to sacrifice for our fellow citizens as those who came before us did. I don't know for certain.

But the coronavirus is a formidable foe. It has already caused more American deaths than we suffered in the Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars combined.

The Greatest Generation modeled self-sacrifice, and doing the right things for the right reasons. We have the freedoms we enjoy today because of their selfless actions.

We can't know for certain what members of the Greatest Generation would say about our response to the pandemic, because few of them are here to tell us. However, I am certain they would say that we will get through this if we care enough about each other.

We can come out of this as a better, stronger nation. Putting the welfare of others ahead of our own needs worked before. Why wouldn't it work again?

Lynn R. Webster, MD, is a vice president of scientific affairs for PRA Health Sciences and consults with the pharmaceutical industry. He is author of the award-winning book, “The Painful Truth,” and co-producer of the documentary, “It Hurts Until You Die.” You can find Lynn on Twitter: @LynnRWebsterMD.