OPINION:
I’ll be 91 on Oct. 30. As I have admitted on occasion, I’ve lived through some of the worst and best times in our nation’s history. It seems to me there is as much or more discord in the country now than at any prior time. It is obvious to me that we need more of the spirit I’ve seen exhibited in the distant past (“NFL ratings fall as fans make clear: Quit the politics,” Web, Sept. 27).
As Boy Scouts, each of us pledged: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country.” In school we pledged “allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Sometime later “under God” was added.
As soon as I turned 17 in 1943, I tried to join the U.S. Navy (twice) and the U.S. Marine Corps. I was rejected each time because of partial color blindness. The Army was not as particular, and I was drafted soon after turning 18. It all may have happened for the best. The war in Europe ended as I finished basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida. After a 10-day furlough, I was sent to Camp Rucker, Alabama, for 10 weeks of advanced training. The first and second atomic bombs were dropped on Japan as I finished there. I was on a troop ship two days out of San Francisco — the last contingency to leave with combat equipment — when the peace treaty with Japan was signed.
There was no shortage of patriotism in those days. I wish that same patriotic spirit could be around again without the threat of war. After all, while we are not perfect — maybe far from it in the minds of some — we are undoubtedly the greatest nation in the history of the world. Many gave their lives to protect our liberty, and we owe it to their honor to be grateful.
GLENN BRAUNER
Annapolis
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