In 1998 my grandpa gave me his WWII, army issued Argus camera. I was thrilled. I had recently taken up photography and here I was gifted a real gem. I instantly took to it and learn all that I could about this bit of history in my hands. The film had to be loaded in backwards compared to my green see-through Kodak point-n-shoot camera of the mid-90’s. Every setting had to be manually imputed and it didn’t have a light meter. I found a light meter to go with it at an antique store. I always thought it slightly ironic that the meter I found was a German one from the 1930’s. I wonder what it might had seen in it’s day before finding it’s way to a little antique store in the mountains of Colorado. Who carried it? Was it someone escaping the war in Germany? Maybe it was used by a Nazi, and here I was forcing it to work along side an U.S. Army camera. My imagination certainly went wild back then with the possible stories these two object could tell.
Now, as tensions grow again between nations with fascist rhetoric coming this time form our shores, I wonder now what stories grandpa could tell.
All I know from his time in the service that he was in the Army for three years before playing football for the Army. I know he went to the European side of the war and might have been in Spain, but other than that I don’t know anything. I have tried looking up his service records, both military and football, and have come up empty. What I do know is that he would be furious about what is happening in our country today.
My grandfather was a first generation American. His parents met on the boat coming over from Hungry; they fell in love, and started a business and a family in Indiana. Sounds like romance novel doesn’t it? But grandpa’s life was like many from his generation, marked by hard times. He was born during a pandemic, lived through The Great Depression, served his nation during wartime, and spent his life working and continuing that American dream. I may not know the grand stories of his life, perhaps there were too painful to tell, but those tidbits alone clearly mark where he would stand today with the behaviors (Elon) and policies coming down from The White House.
So much of his life, his generation, fought to give us a life better than they had. They were the generation that truly achieved the American dream with the hopes that prosperity would continue on in a land secured by peace for their children and grandchildren. Instead, fascism is knocking on our doors with billionaire funds. Deep hands of the oligarchs that ruled the monopolies of his youthful years are back again and have taken seats in the government. What tossing and turning grandpa must be doing now in his grave.
How have we forgotten what our grandparent’s generation went through to lead to this? Movies on WWII are frequent box office hits. The style of that day, the dress suits with perfect rolled hair and red lips, have become iconic. And let us not forget the music. Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters, and the Ink Spots, just to name a few, still liven the footsteps of anyone inclined to do a jitterbug. While no one what’s the horrors of war, there is something timeless and nostalgic about WWII. Let’s face it, we all enjoyed it when Marvel came out with the origin story of Captain America. Yet, I never expected Cap’s line about punching Nazi’s would still be a lesson we need to pass on today to the next generation.
How have we failed them? How have we come to this? But more importantly how do we stop this before it gets to the point in which grandpa put on a uniform and went to war? Can we prevent what we know will happen? We’ve all seen the play book, we’ve seen how history ends and we fear the alternative endings. We have been encouraged all our lives to stand up with the little guy, to be on the side of the rebel forces, to form Dumbledore’s Army, and to pay tribute to those who wrongly fallen.
More so now, just like grandpa’s camera, our focus needs to be dialed in with the ability to capture quickly what is happening all around us. At times, we may need someone to help us see the light when things look grim and dark. Our view should not be skewed by click-bate headlines and unchecked facts. The maintenance of our minds must be done with care and precision, like any well crafted machine with a good manual. May I suggest a reading list of banned books and historical texts? The point is, that this time around, we have developed the a clearer picture of what these unfolding events mean.
While some have forgotten or turned to look the other way, I am encouraged by so many posts and video’s on social media of people talking about their family histories from WWII. The lessons are there, and the time is now. We won’t forget this time and we can make a difference that they, our grandparent’s generation, would be proud of. So let’s say focused.