greatest generation

"The war gave back integrity to this erring and immoral nation. It charged with power, peaceful, amiable men, to whose life war and discord were abhorrent. What an infusion of character went out from this and other colleges! What an infusion of character down to the ranks! The experience has been uniform that it is the gentle soul that makes the firm hero after all. It is easy to recall the mood in which our young men, snatched from every peaceful pursuit, went to the war. Many of them had never handled a gun. They said, “It is not in me to resist. I go because I must. It is a duty which I shall never forgive myself if I decline. I do not know that I can make a soldier. I may be very clumsy. Perhaps I shall be timid; but you can rely on me. Only one thing is certain, I can well die, but I cannot afford to misbehave."

—

Excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s address at the Harvard Commemoration in July, 1865 (via maynrd)

I found this recently and, even though the quote was from the Civil War-era, I thought it was also a nice tribute to the Greatest Generation. 

1. finance509 liked this
2. returningde6 liked this
3. dictionaryde2 liked this
4. differences56f liked this
5. coalitiong9p liked this
6. kissablekat reblogged this from greatestgeneration
7. blutverlust liked this
8. mightynorsegod reblogged this from greatestgeneration
9. mightynorsegod liked this
10. goodheavenssir reblogged this from greatestgeneration
11. tatochop liked this
12. gangbadoy liked this
13. viciouslysweetval liked this
14. queenofmultitasking liked this
15. jaget liked this
16. funiculi-funicula liked this
17. greatestgeneration reblogged this from maynrd and added:

    I found this recently and, even though the quote was...Civil War-era, I thought it was...

18. reinfriedmarass liked this
19. tiedtothewhippingpost reblogged this from maynrd
20. maynrd posted this